


Rivals

by AlexaNDYE



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Hockey, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27434329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexaNDYE/pseuds/AlexaNDYE
Summary: Clarke Griffin and Lexa Woods are rivals at Polis High, and also happen to be co-captains for their ice hockey team, The Grounders.
Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa
Comments: 34
Kudos: 225





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of Lexa and Clarke's rivalry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are mine.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Something to note: I use dot-dot-dots as a way to denote the amount of time that's lapsed between scenes. It may be weird for you. For now, I'm just experimenting, but we'll see how it goes!

Clarke Griffin had always been seen as a beacon of light.

She was beloved by her teachers and classmates all throughout Elementary School. Kids loved playing with her on the playground, creating daily adventures and enjoying the full extent of their lives.

All the parents knew her as the smartest kid in class with her mom being one of the top surgeons in the country and her father a renowned mechanical engineer for NASA.

Clarke Griffin was always huddled around her peers; they loved her, admired her, looked up to her, and some even wanted to be like her. Growing up, she was the textbook definition of the word ‘popular’.

She was elected the student body president during fourth grade, and the years after, she’d been elected over and over again. And coming out of eighth grade, she intended to run for student body president in High School.

She was the top of her academic class and participated in all of her school sports. It was only apparent that she had a natural talent for hockey during the summer before her first High School year.

She was instantly added to the starting roster of Polis High’s The Grounders. It wasn’t even a second thought, according to the High School coaches, Indra and Kane.

She only realized her rivalry with the brunette (hair tied back and braids weaved all the way down) when they started their first hockey practice of the season.

Since their Captain and Assistant Captain graduated the year before, they were forced to choose new ones.

While Clarke showed excellence in her foot work and response times, Lexa excelled at handeyed coordination with her sharpshooter slapshots and passing.

The two were practically neck and neck. No one else challenged them.

Clarke was on defense and Lexa was on right wing.

As the two separated for an in house scrimmage, it was obvious to the coaches that Lexa was more forward thinking and thus was able to make top of the line passes to the other players. With Octavia in the goal, Lexa’s team made two goals.

During that game, Clarke’s only mistake was thinking Lexa would go right instead of left, but Lexa faked Clarke out and deked the puck to to the left, to the right, and finally pushing all the way to the left.

Clarke tried chasing after her, but Lexa’s stick handling gave her the upper edge and she chipped it top shelf against Octavia, scoring the final goal of practice.

Teammates cheered Lexa on as she skated the rest of the corner. She smiled at her goal and made sure Clarke saw it. Clarke, as competitive as ever, rolled her eyes and tapped Octavia’s shin pads, thanking her for trying her best.

Lexa Woods was made Captain of the hockey team, with Clarke Griffin as her Assistant Captain.

…

Lexa thought her upper hand in Hockey would carry over to her academics. She was none the wiser about Clarke’s academic performance in her previous school years. She saw Clarke’s name numerous times on lists citing outstanding students that would be coming to Polis High.

With Clarke in five of her six classes, Lexa made a note to _always_ try her best. The last thing she wanted to do was to see Clarke’s smirk spread broadly across her face as she aced a test that Lexa had not.

She thought she had a shoe in for the first midterm exam, but her carelessness cost her a question, and thus, five percent was marked off her exam.

Clarke didn’t show it, but Octavia and Raven, who sat behind Clarke and to the right of her, respectively, during their history class, high fived her and cheered her on.

Lexa realized the blonde didn’t just ace the test, she got a one-hundred and ten percent. Of course, Clarke Griffin would have the time to work out the bonus question at the very end. 

Lexa’s mood was considerably sour that week, so much so that she made their hockey team skate extra laps around the rink and do twice as many drills.

No one dared to question her, not even Clarke, even though she knew the reason for it.

This continued throughout their first year: Lexa would bring their team to an astounding perfect win record in Hockey and a division championship, while Clarke brought home academic trophies in their hackathons, spelling bees, and decathlons (both team and individual).

She was thus elected as their year’s student body president, with Lexa as their vice president.

Everyone around them saw them butting heads when they were in the same class; from small science fair competitions to off handed debates in class; they were always challenging each other and definitely not giving the other any ounce of wiggle room.

…

…

…

The second year of High School was when Lexa noticed Clarke’s dad was in the stands during most of their practices and all of their games.

Lexa’s parents were busy with work, so they rarely went to her practices, but made an effort to show up at their games.

After a game, she’d see Clarke and her dad embrace in a hug and then the blonde would try to fend off a hand that reached for her hair to tossle it around. It was an endearing sight, and Lexa was somewhat jealous.

While Clarke and Lexa were known rivals, it didn’t mean that they didn’t talk. Their talks, much to everyone’s surprise, were civil more than uncivil.

A backyard party at one of the known dealers, named ‘Jasper’, was when Lexa saw Clarke making out with one of their school’s football jocks, Finn Collins.

Lexa blushed, looked away, and made sure to stick close to her Hockey friends, Monroe and Harper. They drank a bit, did some dancing, and even played some kings cup, but for some reason, always out of the corner of her eye, she’d see Finn pressing Clarke against a wall with his lips glued to hers. 

On her way out, Lexa told Clarke in passing, “Don’t let it affect your performance this year, Griffin.”

Clarke beamed at the brunette and saluted her through a drunken haze, “Aye aye, Captain.”

Lexa didn’t know what irked her more, the fact that Clarke was noticeably drunk and swaying, or Finn Collins’ childish smirk from the side.

Clarke’s efforts in Hockey didn’t stutter; her defense was solid, as usual, and if Lexa wanted to compliment her (which she hated doing), she would say that Clarke’s defense got even better.

Octavia made a passing comment, saying how much better Clarke’s reads have gotten since their first year.

“Thanks! My dad has been helping me practice on the weekends.” Clarke replied cheerfully.

A week before playoffs and Lexa was thankful to hear that Clarke broke up with Finn. What really made her happy was that Clarke’s anger was what won them the championship.

During the last thirty seconds of the third period, Clarke used so much force and anger in her slapshot, she nearly shot the puck straight through the net. The opponent’s goaltender was visibly shaken by the sheer velocity.

Clarke’s dad was the first to congratulate her and he even skipped the head rubbing and offered her a congratulatory ice cream cone from one of the arena’s shops. Clarke laughed, and Lexa could’ve sworn her heart skipped a beat.

… 

Their last dance of the year was thrown by the school staff. It was meant to be one in congratulations to all of the hard work the students were doing to pull in the many trophies that sat in the cabinet. (Both Clarke and Lexa rolled their eyes at that).

Lexa danced with James Masterson that night. He was a sweet brown haired boy; his parents were well off, he was a senior and was captain of the varsity volleyball team.

When James Masterson moved in for a kiss, Lexa cited illness and ran off to the restroom. Upon returning from the restroom, she saw Clarke off to the side, enjoying Octavia, Lincoln (new kid), Raven, Harper, and Monroe’s company.

She didn’t see Finn Collins or any of the other boys ask her to dance. She wondered why.

She joined them and was immediately teased for dancing with James Masterson, but Lexa quickly deflected their words and told them to ‘fuck off’. While they all laughed, Lexa was focused on a certain blonde’s and it was like music to her ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is completely finished, but I will be spacing out chapters as evenly as possible. An epilogue is possible, but not planned at this moment.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tragedy happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are mine!
> 
> Enjoy!

While Clarke was busy doing some side tutoring, Lexa was busy planning the next field trip. Their next field trip would be to one of the national forests nearby where their year would learn about all sorts of facts about nature.

Lexa was a little irritated since she didn’t do as well as she’d hoped on her calculus exam, so when Lizzie, their student body treasurer, asked what they were going to do about funds for the field trip, as well as the money to supply the busses, Lexa snapped at her.

“I don’t know, Lizzie. Aren’t you supposed to figure that out? That’s your job as treasurer, isn’t it?” Lexa asked curtly and with a demanding tone.

Everyone stared at Lexa, shocked from what they just heard, and to make matters worse, Clarke walked in at that exact moment.

“Sorry guys. Tutoring took longer than I thought,” Clarke murmured, but she noticed the thick tension in the room. She followed everyone’s gaze, and stared at her vice president and treasurer.

Lizzie snapped back, “Maybe you should’ve danced a little longer with James, Lexa. I’m sure he’d fuck the stress right out of you. Maybe he would’ve pulled that stick out of your ass, too.”

Lexa got up real quick. Thankfully, Clarke was the one that pushed her back. Lexa’s eyes burned holes in Lizzie’s skull as she felt soft hands press against her shoulders.

Clarke eased the tension in the room instantly. “Guys. Calm down. We can ask Diana Sydney how much money we have and if we have enough for busses. If we don’t then we can start thinking of ideas for some fundraising. I’m pretty sure Raven would gladly start a car washing fundraiser for the school.”

Raven chuckled. “You know I look good in a bikini.”

Clarke’s smile is what brought everyone together. “We can also start calling the national park to see if they’re willing to give us any discounts for tickets. I’m sure they’d be more than happy to for a bunch of High Schoolers. Worse case scenario, we shift gears and ask Indra to give us a self guided tour since she and her family used to work there.” 

Everyone nodded along, and even Lizzie flashed an apologetic smile at Lexa. Lexa tried not to acknowledge her.

“Sound good?” Clarke asked as her gaze shifted between Lexa and Lizzie.

Lizzie nodded. “Great plan, Clarke. I’ll start calling the national park.”

Clarke nodded as Lizzie headed towards the phone inside the office their student body used as a meeting room.

She tapped Lexa on the shoulder. “Can I talk to you outside?” Lexa sighed and followed anyway.

“Everything okay?” Clarke asked quietly.

Lexa showed no emotion, yet replied sternly. “Yes, everything is fine.”

“Lexa, if you want to back off on this, I understand.”

“Why, because not everyone is perfect like you?” Lexa shot back, still irritated.

Clarke furrowed her eyebrows. “What-- Lexa, I never said anything even remotely related to that.”

Lexa’s jaw clenched as she looked away. “I’m sorry. I’m… I’m just annoyed right now.”

Clarke gave her a sympathetic smile. “Do you want me to do anything?”

Lexa briefly looked at Clarke’s softened blue eyes and then her lips. She looked away instantly. “No. I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Clarke’s lips slowly curled into a smile as the idea dawned on her. “How about you stay afterwards? Indra and Kane keep a few sticks inside the rec room, and guess who has the keys to the rec room?” Clarke saw a small smile form on Lexa’s lips. “The season may be over, but I still hold the imaginary trophy for best of sevens won.”

“Is that a challenge, Griffin?”

Clarke’s grin widened. “Always.”

After their student body meeting, Clarke and Lexa played a round of seven. They used their sneakers since their skates were at home waiting for the next season.

The Captain and Assistant Captain challenged each other, slapping the puck out of each other’s possession more times than they could count. Clarke still won though.

“Maybe they should’ve made you Captain,” Lexa said as they walked out of their school gym.

Clarke shook her head. “I don’t think I could do that.”

“Why not? Everyone looks to you for leadership, even Lizzie.”

Clarke chuckled. “Being a leader at school and being the captain of the hockey team are two very different things. Our teammates look to you for guidance and count on you always. I’m too hard headed to see through strategies sometimes. I thought that was pretty clear when we almost lost to Floukru High the last time.”

The corner of Lexa’s lips curled upwards. “I am pretty impressive, huh?”

Clarke instantly scowled. “Remind me why it was a good idea to inflate your ego.”

“Because, you know I’m better than you.”

Clarke laughed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

…

... 

…

Their third year was very different, and not at all like their years prior.

Being juniors in High School meant having to prepare for the future, which also meant more tests, and more tests meant more stress.

Lexa and Clarke always destressed through Hockey. Maybe that’s the reason why their slapshots and chip ins were more powerful than before.

With SATs becoming more and more time consuming, Clarke was forced to make room in her schedule.

Clarke dropped out of the spelling bee that she usually attended, as well as her participation in the science fair. She was forced to focus on her studies, so she could produce the best results and get into at least one of the many colleges she dreamt about.

Their year took a mock SAT, and Lexa wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Clarke at the very top of the rankings with herself right behind her.

Lexa made an off handed comment to Clarke in passing that only made Clarke smile.

For the third year in a row, their Hockey team made it to the playoffs. Their last regular match of the season was practically a warm up for them since they had already clinched a spot.

The only thing missing was Clarke Griffin.

Lexa didn’t think anything of the blonde’s absence and thought it was due to all the stress from classes and college applications. She barely batted an eye when Octavia came late and with reddened eyes.

With two weeks left before the playoffs, Clarke was yet to be seen at practice. Lexa noticed that Clarke was missing in her classes for a good week. She saw Octavia and Raven collect her homework for her, so Lexa merely assumed that the blonde caught the flu, or the cold.

Lexa’s irritation only grew when the blonde showed up to class, but did not show up to practice.

Lexa managed to catch up to Clarke after one of their classes (she didn’t see the blonde’s hasty exit) and asked if she was coming to practice that week.

“Maybe,” Clarke mumbled quietly.

Lexa furrowed her eyebrows. “Maybe?”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Lexa was only cut off by one of her teachers calling her name, otherwise she would have pushed Clarke to the side and given her a peace of her mind. By the time she could look back for Clarke, she was already half way down the hallway and nearly out of sight.

Lexa was surprised when Clarke didn’t show up for practice that day. She angrily balled her fists when she saw Octavia.

“Octavia, where the fuck is Clarke?” Lexa asked.

Octavia was in the middle of pulling the straps of her goalie pads. She briefly looked up at her Captain and shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

“She’s your best friend. How do you not know where she is? Did she even tell you if she was going to show?” Her voice raised, and Octavia could easily tell that Lexa was  _ beyond  _ fucking pissed. They only had a week and a half left before their first playoff match.

Octavia shook her head. “I really don’t know where she is, Lexa.”

“Then call her.”

Octavia snapped at her, “And what? Ask her to get her ass over here for practice? For all I know, she’s probably off doing other much more important shit.”

Lexa’s jaw clenched. “More important than the playoffs?”

“Yeah,” Octavia bit back with fire in her eyes. “Don’t get pissed at me because she didn’t show up. Maybe you should be asking  _ her _ why she’s not here.” Octavia pulled on her helmet, walked to the small door to the rink, and began to skate her laps.

Lexa was in a shit mood that day, and everyone else made sure not to piss her off even more.

... 

… 

… 

“Bench me.”

“What?” Indra asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Clarke reiterated without any emotion. “I’m not playing anymore, so bench me.”

Lexa crossed her arms over her chest, conflicted and upset over the situation in front of her.

Kane and Indra set up a meeting with Lexa and Clarke, mostly to discuss plays for the upcoming playoff match and also to talk about Clarke’s absence.

Kane put a hand on Indra’s shoulder and nodded and Clarke. “Okay, Clarke. You’re benched.”

“Thank you,” Clarke said, and walked out of the office.

Lexa’s jaw clenched. “You’re just letting her walk away after being a no show for two weeks?” she nearly growled at her coaches.

Indra looked at Kane, and Kane flashed a solemn expression at Indra. He apologetically looked at Lexa, “Yes, I know, but given the circumstances, we can’t ask her to come back and play if she doesn't want to.”

“She  _ asked _ to be benched.”

“Yes, she did. And now that she  _ is  _ benched, we will pick another Assistant Captain to take her place. We’ll go over the plays and shift around the lines. Indra and I saw this coming last week, so we’ve prepared enough. We’ll practice the new lines next Monday and go from there.”

That wasn’t what Lexa was talking about.

Clarke was a no show. She ditched their last game and she ditched important practice time. She didn’t care if Clarke had SAT tests lined up for the rest of the month. Hockey was always important to Clarke as it was to Lexa, so Lexa didn’t understand why the blonde would up and quit just like that. And to make matters worse, her peers weren’t exactly taking her side. Octavia was irritated with her as ever, and so was Monroe and Harper albeit a little less so than Octavia.

Lexa stormed out of Indra and Kane’s office and immediately walked out of the locker rooms to find  _ her. _

She found Clarke walking towards the front gate, and thank god no one was at school thirty minutes after the last bell, or else she’d be feeding them fodder for a good, old fashioned, High School viral video.

“Hey!” Lexa shouted to get her attention.

Clarke stopped and turned around. Her backpack was carelessly slung over her shoulder, and her expression was as emotionless as it was a few days ago. Lexa barely recognized her.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Lexa growled angrily as she got into the blonde’s face.

Clarke didn’t back down. She was too tired and mentally exhausted.

“Apparently not who I think I am,” she answered sarcastically and smartly.

All of Lexa’s frustrations poured out of her as she grabbed the front of Clarke’s shirt and pushed her against the nearest wall. Yeah, she was incredibly thankful no one was at school.

“Who gives you the right to walk away like that?” Lexa asked angrily. Clarke didn’t answer. “You’re really going to throw away all the hard work our team has put into getting to the playoffs, knowing full well Ice Born High has the strongest projected lineup this year and beat us twice in a row?” Clarke stared at her; her blue eyes were cold, colder than Lexa had ever seen. Lexa’s gaze shifted between her two eyes, and with a frustrated growl, she pushed Clarke into the wall one last time.

“You don’t give an ounce of shit about us, huh?” Lexa asked. “It was just a fun game for you to play until you got bored.” Clarke’s lips twitched at that. “Unless you’ve finally realized how shit you are at the game. Face it. You weren’t picked as Captain. You stayed as Assistant Captain, so you gave up entirely, knowing full well you’d never catch up to me." 

Lexa approached Clarke, moving closer with each word. “You’ll never be as good as  _ me _ .” She wanted to get under Clarke’s skin. Deep down, she wanted to challenge her enough to make her regret her decision and come back. But, she’d never admit that.

Clarke didn’t meet her gaze.

Lexa's jaw clenched in anger. "Go ahead. Be a quitter, but I’m sure as hell your dad never raised you to be one.”

That was the final straw.

In one swift motion, all hell broke loose.

Clarke grabbed a fist full of Lexa’s hockey jersey and forcibly pushed her into the wall. What shocked Lexa wasn’t that she had done it, but that  _ it hurt _ . Her back pulsed in pain and her shoulder blades ached.

Clarke’s fist got tighter and tighter. Her knuckles turned white as her teeth grinded together in a furious rage.

Lexa thought the blonde was going to swing at her, but she never did.

“Fuck you, Lexa,” Clarke hissed through her teeth. Her eyes turned a darker shade of blue as tears began to well at the corners. “Go fuck yourself, you selfish bitch.”

Lexa stood there, shocked and feeling out of place, as the blonde walked away and then disappeared around the corner where the junior and senior parking lot was.

Her Assistant Captain was gone, and Lexa hated it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa, and reconciliation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are mine.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Keep acting like an asshole, and no one will want to play with you,” Raven said casually, approaching Lexa’s usual table. Lexa’s younger brother, Aden, and a few other friends, were sitting next to her.

Aden frowned at Raven’s words.

Raven’s stare was cold. “I won’t be making it to the student body meeting today. Clarke resigned her position as well.”

Lexa scoffed, “Should I be surprised?”

Raven balled her fist and scowled at the brunette.

Aden spoke up softly, “Raven.”

Raven’s expression softened. “Clarke won’t be making it to your tutor session today either, Aden. She said she’s sorry.”

Aden nodded in acceptance. “It’s okay. I’ll ask Murphy to help me, even though I’m probably smarter than him.”

Raven chuckled at his response and nodded. “Thanks, Aden.”

Aden nodded. “Tell Clarke I said hi.”

“Will do.” Raven walked away, but not without scowling at Lexa one more time.

Lexa rolled her eyes and got back to her lunch.

…

…

…

“Hey,” Lexa said, knocking on Aden’s doorway.

He turned around. “Oh, hi, Sis.”

“Do you have time to talk?” Lexa asked quietly.

Aden nodded.

Lexa closed the door behind her and sat on his bed, and faced her younger brother. “Today, during lunch… it didn’t seem to bother you that Clarke bailed on your tutoring session.”

Aden shook his head. “Why would it?”

Lexa furrowed her eyebrows. “She’s usually punctual, isn’t she?”

Aden nodded. “Yeah.”

“Then why aren’t you mad?”

Aden shrugged. “School is cool and all, and I like learning, but some things are more important than school work.”

Lexa gave her brother a puzzled expression as she thought about his explanation. “I guess…”

“And besides, I don’t like seeing Clarke sad, so I told her last time that it was okay if she couldn’t tutor me anymore.”

Lexa thought back to when she yelled at Clarke; the girl nearly broke out into tears. “What do you mean ‘sad’?” 

“You didn’t hear?”

Lexa shook her head. “Hear what?”

... 

… 

… 

Lexa felt like an idiot. She felt like an absolute asshole that didn’t see the signs.

She had heard people chatting in the locker room about Clarke, but she assumed they were talking about their upcoming matches or something hockey related. She had no idea they were talking about Clarke’s personal life.

Clarke arrived late to their fourth period, so Lexa didn’t have a chance to talk to her beforehand. All throughout the class, Lexa studied Clarke’s emotions, her movements, and her body language.

Clarke looked sad and depressed.

She looked like she didn’t care about the class, which was the polar opposite of the Clarke she once knew.

This Clarke was a shell of her former self, and, as she came to the realization, Lexa felt a pang in her chest.

Once the end of the fourth period bell rang, she thought Clarke was going to hurry out of the class, but Lexa was lucky enough that their teacher asked to talk to Clarke. Their talk only lasted a minute or two. Lexa could care less about making it to her next class.

Once Clarke exited the room, Lexa immediately walked up to her.

“Hey.”

Clarke ignored her.

“Can we talk for a minute?”

She finally replied, “I don’t want to talk to you.”

Lexa grabbed Clarke’s hand that dangled at her side. “Clarke, please?”

Clarke reluctantly followed the brunette around the corner where the bleachers were. They stood underneath them where students normally didn’t pass through.

Lexa instantly noticed the emptiness in Clarke’s eyes.

“What’d you want to talk about?” Clarke asked through tired mumbles.

Lexa held Clarke’s gaze and pressed her lips together. She thought Clarke was being selfish and arrogant. She thought so many things of the blonde, and yet, she was entirely wrong.

“I’m sorry about your father.”

Clarke’s jaw clenched as she looked away.

Lexa continued, “I really am sorry… I… I didn’t know. I thought…” She paused and sighed. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m sorry I accused you of a lot of things that day.”

Clarke shrugged. “It’s fine.”

Lexa shook her head and put her hands on the blonde’s shoulders, making Clarke look at her. And this time, Clarke  _ really  _ looked at her. Rarely did Lexa ever show affection or any sign that she cared. Lexa was always the studious, hardened academic role model. Her vicious stare and stone cold gaze is what made newer students scared of her. People always attributed it to Lexa’s ‘resting bitch face’.

The Lexa in front of Clarke, with her hands on her shoulders and her green eyes soft and her expression full of worry, was different. The good kind of ‘different’. For a moment, her heart skipped a beat.

“It’s not fine, Clarke. I accused you of not caring when you’ve always cared. I’m sorry for what I said… and for pushing you too far. I should’ve thought about giving you space, but instead, I was angry. And you’re right, I was selfish, and that’s no excuse for me to go off on you like that. So, please, accept my apology.”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

Lexa’s lips curled into a soft and caring smile. “Quite the opposite, actually. I owe you a lot. Without you, I probably wouldn’t care as much about Hockey or about Calculus. Hell, without you, I wouldn’t care about being on the student body. The only reason I’m Vice President of our year is because of  _ you _ . Because I’m too stubborn to lose to you.”

Clarke finally laughed, and Lexa could’ve sworn a whole decade passed without hearing that wonderful sound.

“I really am sorry, Clarke.”

Clarke nodded. “And I accept your apology, Lexa.”

The bell for fifth period rang a long time ago, but neither of them cared.

Lexa and Clarke settled down on the bleachers that overlooked the grassy fields where track and field usually practiced.

“What happened?” Lexa asked cautiously.

Clarke stared in front of her, noting all of the trees that swayed in the wind. “A car accident. A drunk driver, to be specific.”

Lexa, without a word, took Clarke’s hand in hers and rested it in her lap. While she was shit at comforting people, she learned that a simple gesture carried more weight than a string of repeated words.

Clarke squeezed her hand and let tears fall down her cheeks.

“The driver only broke an arm, but my dad… he was put into a coma. He was on his way home from work, and he was supposed to practice my stick work with me… and then my mom got the call. We rushed to the hospital, but it was too late.” She paused and squeezed Lexa’s hand harder. “His car turned three times. They had to put him in a medically induced coma. A week passed and he showed no signs of getting better.”

Lexa frowned at the news. It explained why Clarke wasn’t at school for a week.

Clarke continued through sniffles. “My mother talked to the doctors and she broke down. There was no way my dad was going to make it out, so we had to make the decision to take him off life support.” She paused and with a shaky breath, she finally said, “His funeral was yesterday.”

Lexa’s eyes widened and it felt like her heart stopped. Sobs rattled through Clarke’s chest as she leaned forward and hid her face in her hand. Tears streamed down her cheeks and no matter how much she tried to wipe away with her sleeve, they wouldn’t stop.

Lexa didn’t realize she too was crying until she wrapped her arms around Clarke and felt her tears soak into the blonde’s sweatshirt. She pulled Clarke into a tight hug and rubbed her back, hoping her wordless gestures were enough to show that she cared. Because, she did care about Clarke.

“I’m so sorry, Clarke,” Lexa murmured. She closed her eyes and felt tears trail down to her chin and slide down her chest. She hugged the blonde as close, and as much, as possible.

They both missed fifth period that day.

... 

“I’m sorry for being so harsh to you, Octavia,” Lexa said as they made their way out of the locker room.

Octavia nodded in acceptance. “Next time don’t be so much of an asshole, yeah?”

Lexa nodded. “Please, take care of Clarke for me.”

Octavia raised an eyebrow. “For you?”

Lexa didn’t answer and merely skated her laps.

…

…

…

Two weeks later, after two playoff matches missed, Clarke showed interest in coming back, and while Indra and Kane were both sympathetic, they couldn’t let Clarke come back without a little punishment.

She wasn’t put on a line, per say, but she was allowed to practice with the team.

“I’m glad you’re back,” Lexa said with a small smile.

Clarke smirked as she shrugged and began to lace her skates. “Thanks for convincing me.”

“I did no such thing,” Lexa replied simply. 

She offered a hand to Clarke, and Clarke took it. She pulled Clarke up from her seat and they walked out to the rink together to skate their laps.

Clarke’s form was a bit rough, but with a few days of practice, she was back in top shape.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The semi-final playoffs match between Polis High and Mount Weather High.
> 
> And the illustrious middle console of a car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are mine.
> 
> Enjoy!

Clarke was still benched during the semi-finals, so she eagerly watched from the bleachers as their match against Mount Weather High unfolded.

During the first period, Lexa was flawless in her technique. As practiced, Lexa pressured the defense and made sure to corner the puck. She was a natural at corner skirmishes and kicked the puck out to the side, giving Monroe a perfect line to the goal. Two goals went in that way.

The second period was more or less the same. Lexa chipped the puck out with ease, and Harper’s fast feet allowed her to catch up to Mount Weather High’s defense in time to challenge possession. No goals were made that game, but Clarke instantly noticed how irritated the other team was, specifically Cage Wallage.

Cage Wallace was known to be a troublemaker. In all their matches against Mount Weather High, Cage Wallace pretty much racked two separate two minute penalties each period. His usual was tripping or hooking.

During the last five minutes of the game, Cage Wallace was called for hooking, and he nearly broke his stick. He glared at Lexa as he passed her, even though he was called for a hooking on Macy, Clarke’s replacement.

Clarke noticed how intently he was staring at Lexa as he served his time in the penalty box.

With a little more than three minutes to go, the game was close; the score was at a tight 2 - 1. Both teams traded possessions with their forwards nearly scoring goals, but with fast reaction time and quick feet, each of their team’s goalies blocked their respective shots.

Three minutes to go.

Indra signaled for the next line change, and Clarke watched Lexa, Monroe, Macy, Harper, and Echo climb over the bench barrier.

They assumed their positions with Lexa, Monroe, and Echo in the front, and Harper and Macy behind them. Monroe chipped the puck out of their zone and onto the neutral zone towards Mount Weather High’s side. Lexa skated with it, easily deking past the first defenseman that challenged her.

As she passed the blue line into Mount Weather High’s side, Cage Wallace was released from the penalty box.

He instantly raced towards the puck and made Lexa shove it into the corner.

Cage Wallace challenged Lexa with shuffled feet, but Lexa was always smarter. She kicked the puck out to her left with her skate and rushed towards it, hoping to get out far enough to pass it to Macy, who was out in front of the blue line.

Macy’s eyes watched the puck and so did Lexa’s.

As Lexa was about to pass it out, a stick came down on her dominant arm, right above the pads of her gloves and right below her wrist guards.

Lexa yelped out loud, louder than Clarke had ever wanted to hear, and fell onto the ice. She slid across on her back and her shoulder hit the corner board with a loud thud.

Cage Wallace stood over her with a scowl as the referees blew their whistles multiple times to signal a stoppage. 

“Lexa!” Clarke shouted in a panic. She ran off the bleachers and opened the small rink door. In her sneakers, she raced through the throngs of players, not paying attention if they were from Polis or from Mount Weather, and rushed to Lexa’s side.

Indra and Kane came rushing over, but Clarke was already popping off Lexa’s helmet.

“Lexa?” Clarke called out worriedly. “Lexa?”

Through grinding teeth, Lexa held her right wrist with her left hand. Her gloves were already off. She cursed as she tried to stop the throbbing pain, but ended up cursing more. She tilted her head back and tried to breathe evenly through her nose; she felt another throb of pain and her nose scrunched at the realization that her injury might cost them the game.

Green eyes met blue, and Clarke’s worried expression was evidence enough. Clarke’s warm hand wrapped around Lexa’s left. Their fingers met and tangled, and Lexa withdrew it, giving Clarke room to survey her wrist.

Kane knelt beside Lexa’s head. “How are you, Lexa?”

“Angry,” Lexa replied truthfully.

Indra chuckled. “As you should be. I’ll go talk to the refs.”

“You can tell them they can go fuck themselves if they didn’t see it,” Clarke said out loud, making sure everyone heard her.

One of the refs behind Kane rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, we saw it,” he said flatly.

Lexa tried to laugh, but another throb of pain cut it short. The blonde’s soft hands against her own was the only real comfort that she felt.

Kane handed Clarke an ice pack wrapped in a towel, and Clarke thanked him. She wrapped it around Lexa’s right wrist and gently applied a bit of pressure. Lexa winced at the minor pain and, again, saw Clarke’s worried expression.

Her gaze never left Lexa’s.

“Mount Weather High! Number seventeen! Two minutes for slashing, two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct, and a game misconduct!”

Cage lashed out. “What!? Are you fucking kidding me!?”

“Don’t you dare argue,” the linesman replied curtly. “Or your whole team will be forced to forfeit the game.”

This time, Cage broke his stick, but thankfully, it was on his way off the ice and towards their locker room.

Kane and Indra helped Lexa up, giving her room to skate back to their bench. Their whole team pounded their sticks against the board in sympathy upon their Captain’s return.

Octavia was already maskless and standing by the bench.

“So, when do we get to punch these bitches in the face?” she asked as Kane and Indra got back onto the bench.

Harper smirked. “Too bad Cage went to the locker room. I would’ve loved to have slashed him myself.”

Lexa struggled through the pain in her wrist. “As much as I’d love to see his face when he gets his ass handed to him, we are no better than them if we stoop to their level.”

Echo nodded. “So, we beat them where it hurts.”

Octavia smirked.

Monroe watched Clarke walk off the ice, making her lips curl into a smile. “Someone wanna tell Clarke how cool she looked running across the ice? I didn’t think that was humanly possible without slipping.”

Lexa furrowed her eyebrows. “She what?” She didn’t see that.

Octavia nodded. “Clarke was ready to clothesline Cage when she saw what he did to you. Actually, she pushed him in the chest on her way in.”

Lexa’s eyes found Clarkes; Clarke still looked worried, but Lexa tried to do her best to put her emotions at ease with a short nod. Those blue eyes made the butterflies in her stomach flutter, and Lexa knew that wasn’t the first time it happened. It had become a familiar feeling.

“Let's give them hell, ladies and gentlemen,” Indra announced. “First line. Emori, take Lexa’s position.” Emori nodded. “Let's give them a proper send off out of the playoffs, yeah?”

Octavia pulled her helmet down. “Lets fuck them up!”

Kane shouted as they all skated to their positions. “This is the only time I’m allowing you guys to swear!” Indra broke out into a smile.

With Polis High on a powerplay, they managed to put the final nail in the coffin and score their third goal twenty seconds before the game was over.

Cage’s father, Dante Wallance, their coach, forced Cage to apologize to Lexa on the way out.

Lexa nodded in appreciation. “See you next year, that is, if you make it this far, again.” Cage grit his teeth, ready to reply, but Lexa’s team was right behind her, backing her up.

On their way back to their school, the team quickly went over their strategies. They went over what worked and what didn’t, and what they can improve on come the final match versus Ice Born High.

Everyone hardly noticed Lexa’s painful expression that flashed every so often as they talked about their next drills, but Clarke did.

While the team hit the showers, Clarke talked to Kane and Indra, begging them to let her play in the finals. Kane did say he was impressed with Clarke’s performance during practice, and Indra agreed, so they both promised her that she would resume her normal spot next match.

Clarke thanked them dozens of times before finally leaving their office. On the way out, she noticed the locker room was nearly empty, except for one duffle bag of equipment.

It was Lexa’s. Clarke could recognize the black and green hockey bag from a mile away.

“Lexa?” Clarke called out.

There was no answer.

Clarke walked further into the locker room and heard the continuous stream of running water. She furrowed her eyebrows and rounded the corner.

Lexa was naked; she was hunched over with her head directly underneath the shower head, and her left hand was gripping her right wrist in a vice.

Clarke could tell that Lexa was in immense pain.

Of course, Lexa wouldn’t show any emotion to her teammates. Hell, she barely showed any to her when the injury happened.

“Hey, you okay?” Clarke asked as she approached the brunette.

Lexa briefly looked at her and nodded. She realized she was probably the last one to take a shower, and promptly turned off the running water.

“I’m fine,” Lexa replied.

She reached for her towel with her good hand, but Clarke caught it first. Lexa, befuddled by the blonde’s actions, stared at the fingers that softly curled around her wrist.

“Let me look at it,” Clarke murmured.

Clarke grabbed Lexa’s right hand and surveyed the damage.

The skin was red and swollen, and a bruise was already forming. Lexa watched her, knowing full well that the blush along her neck was now spreading to her face.

“Does it hurt?” Clarke asked worriedly.

“Yeah,” Lexa nodded. “I have some tape in my bag.”

Clarke chuckled and raised an eyebrow. “Just ‘yeah’?” Lexa furrowed her eyebrows. “You don’t have to act tough around me, Lexa.”

“I’m not-- Ow! Fuck, Clarke!” Lexa shouted when she felt pressure on her wrist.

Clarke smirked. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Will you at least let me put a towel on?”

Clarke shrugged and rolled her eyes. “It’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked before.”

Lexa felt her face become hotter. “I-I don’t care. It’s cold.”

“Come with me,” Clarke said, letting Lexa’s wrist go.

Lexa’s eyes widened. “W-What?”

“To the hospital. My mom is working tonight. I can get her to check it for you.”

Lexa shook her head. “No, it’s fine.”

Clarke raised an eyebrow. “The slightest nudge made you yelp, Lexa. Please. I’ll drive you and we can come back for your car afterwards.”

Lexa stared at Clarke; she was right about her injury. It hurt like fuck. But, she didn’t want to make the blonde go out of her way for her.

Without another word, Clarke turned around. Over her shoulder, she said, “I’ll wait for you in the parking lot.”

…

…

…

“It’s not broken,” Dr. Abigail Griffin said to Lexa as she surveyed the woman’s wrist. She hummed a bit and continued, “It’s definitely bruised though. I’d tell you to leave it alone for a week, but if you’re anything like my daughter, I’d say that’s nearly impossible.”

Lexa nodded as she sat on top of the hospital bed. “I’ll try my best to keep it on ice.”

Abby nodded. “Good - that’s good to hear.” She turned around for a moment before coming back with some wraps. She carefully took Lexa’s arm and began to wrap up the reddened area. “I’ll give you some ibuprofen, just in case, and another roll of wrapping, in case you dirty these. I’ll give you a wrist brace, too, but don’t wear it at night. Instead, ice your wrist beforehand and try not to sleep on it.”

Lexa nodded.

Abby smirked as she continued to unwind the wraps. “You know, Clarke is very fond of you.” She chuckled in remembrance. “I remember when my husband practiced with her. Clarke would run circles around him, and even though her father asked for a break, Clarke would reply with ‘Lexa doesn’t take breaks’, and then she’d run the same drills over and over.” She laughed proudly. “My husband would be so tired afterwards that I’d find him asleep on the couch minutes later.”

Lexa wanted to smile, she really did, but the mention of Clarke’s father made her frown. She felt sad for the blonde; even though she didn’t know Clarke’s father, she only knew him in passing from their hockey games.

Lexa was jealous of Clarke, because she wished her own father would do the same for her. What hurt even more was that Clarke rarely spoke of her father now, even though she regularly spoke of him previously.

She hadn’t heard Clarke talk about him since the day on the bleachers when she cried in Lexa’s arms.

“I’m sorry… about your husband,” Lexa murmured. She saw a tear fall down Dr. Griffin’s cheek.

“Take care of my daughter, Lexa,” the doctor replied. “I know it’s too much to ask, but you two are a lot closer than you think. I’m not much of a help with all these hospital hours, but I try to be there when I can. It hurts, seeing Clarke feel so alone after her father’s passing and…” There was a brief pause and a sniffle. “I know how much she loved him.”

Lexa tried not to cry. She could feel her heart thump in her chest. “I’ll do my best, Dr. Griffin.”

Lexa emerged from the large green doors a few minutes later. In the distance, she saw Clarke in the waiting room, reading one of the magazines that was laid out on the side. People Magazine. Of course. Lexa smirked to herself.

The two drove back to the school parking lot in communicative silence. As the radio played some hip hop song, Lexa found herself looking over at the blonde a few times. Clarke hummed cheerfully to the melody, but all Lexa could think of was Clarke’s empty expression a few weeks ago.

Abby mentioned that Clarke felt alone, and the thought made Lexa’s heart shatter. Who knew that the blonde would be going through all that pain by herself?

She had no doubt that Octavia and Raven we’re by her side, and even her brother, Aden, but what must’ve stung the most was Lexa’s rage induced words that she spat carelessly.

The car stopped to a halt, right next to Lexa’s car.

“Thanks for taking me to the hospital,” Lexa said politely.

“No problem. Glad it’s not broken. I mean, I’d love to take Captain from you,” Clarke said with a sarcastic grin. “But, it just wouldn’t be the same.”

Lexa chuckled lowly. “I would never let that happen.”

“Whatever you say, Commander.” Clarke affectionately tilted her head to the side, and Lexa thought she looked beautiful. “Just promise you’ll keep off it as much as you can, okay? We need you for the finals.”

“I think I need you more,” Lexa replied truthfully. “The game isn’t the same without you.”

Clarke nodded. “I’ll be there. Don’t you worry.”

Lexa turned her head and her gaze locked with Clarke’s. Clarke’s smile brought her into a different reality where she wasn’t sure if it was real or not. Time seemed at a standstill, and as Lexa’s expression softened, she could’ve sworn her body moved on her. She reached over the console and pressed her lips against Clarke’s.

Clarke was confused at first, and then, as if Lexa’s lips were miracle workers, she melted against the softness.

Clarke deepened the kiss, framing Lexa’s cheeks with her hands and pulling her face against hers. Their soft lips mingled and danced, thoroughly enjoying each other. There was no rush. There was no forcefulness.

It was just Clarke and Lexa, and their long overdue unrequited feelings for each other, finally being resolved.

Lexa brought up her right hand, wrapped and in a brace, and gently caressed the blonde’s cheek. She was mindful of her ‘accessory’ and did her best to avoid touching her with it.

With closed eyes, Lexa pulled away from the kiss and then rubbed the tips of their noses together. She then leaned the other way and kissed her again. Clarke moaned delightfully against the brunette’s lips, and Lexa wanted nothing more than to hear it again.

Although, her efforts caused her wrist to twist a way it shouldn’t have, especially that early into her recovery.

Lexa pulled away in a hiss of pain. “Damn it,” she cursed.

Clarke laughed and continued to caress Lexa’s cheek. Her thumb ran gently across the brunette’s cheek. “It probably would’ve been better if we weren’t trying to do this in a car.” She patted the console between them. “It’s a bitch to kiss over.”

Lexa smiled at her words and beamed at the blonde. “I like it when you do that.”

“Swear?”

Lexa chuckled. “Yes, that too, but I meant your laugh.” She reaffirmed, “I like it when you laugh.”

Clarke broke out into a wide grin. “And I like it when you smile. You hardly do it.”

Lexa rolled her eyes. “I have nothing to smile about.”

“Then why are you smiling right now?”

“Because of you.”

Clarke laughed. “Very smooth.”

“I can be when I try, you know.”

Clarke nodded. “Duly noted.”

Lexa leaned over and quickly pressed her lips to Clarke’s. “I hope this isn’t a one time thing.”

Clarke chuckled as she bit her bottom lip, savoring the feeling of the brunette’s lips on hers. “Then don’t let it be.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preparations begin for their playoffs final match versus Ice Born High. Also, there's pizza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are mine.
> 
> Enjoy!

“C’mon, let's skate people!” Indra clapped on her players as they skated laps around the rink.

Lexa watched from the side as the players took turns hitting the board in front of her in solidarity for her time off the ice.

Lexa caught Clarke’s gaze as she passed, and they both smiled at each other.

Indra was not a fool.

“Be careful, Commander. You don’t want to piss off your Assistant Captain before a big game. She might just slap the puck and aim for your head.”

Lexa chuckled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Indra mimicked her smile. “You and Clarke are the glue that hold this team together. It’s like watching a lion limp across the field when one of you isn't here. I may just be a coach, but I’m also very insightful. And I was also leaving the school as you two came back for your car the other night.”

Lexa’s eyes widened as blush blossomed on her cheeks.

“So, I will repeat myself,” Indra said with a knowing smile. “Be careful.”

Lexa couldn’t look at Indra in the eyes. “Don’t worry. Clarke and I are on equal footing.”

Indra chuckled at Lexa’s response, and then turned her attention to the rink. “C’mon, girls and boys! Gather around!”

As everyone kneeled on the ice, Kane announced the lines without Lexa in it and made sure to say that it was only temporary until Lexa was able to practice again. As per doctor’s orders, Lexa did her best to keep off it, even though her hand reached for her stick whenever she got home.

Much to Lexa’s surprise, Clarke told her that her mom gave her the okay to practice on Tuesday, but not Monday. And their match against Ice Born High was on Friday. Three full days of practice was more than enough for her.

Lexa frowned as pucks spilled onto the ice. It was weird not being able to play. She flexed her right hand, itching to get back in the game. As if on cue, a pair of skates stopped in front of her. Clarke took off her helmet and smirked at the brunette.

“You look like you’re about to jump over and steal someone’s stick.”

Lexa tried not to smile and merely replied, “The thought crossed my mind.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll get your action tomorrow, Commander,” Clarke said, right before she skated off.

Lexa watched her team’s form, the angles on their stick, and the way they wound up for a slapshot. She watched Monroe and Harper chip the puck in from the corners in and from the neutral zone back into the corners.

A smile graced her lips whenever she’d watch Clarke skate from one end to the other, hustling every single time to challenge possession. She was mesmerized by Clarke’s ability to deke, right before she shifted her body to turn the other way, tricking her opponent into a double fake. What was more surprising was that Clarke’s slapshot was damn near precision.

Top shelf twice. One right below the glove. One right below the stick. One five hole.

Clarke looked like she was in better form than all their previous years together.

“It’s interesting, huh?” Kane said, sitting down next to Lexa on the bench.

Lexa looked up at him.

“Clarke looks like she’s doing a lot better.”

Lexa nodded. “She’s certainly better than I expected after so much time away from the sport.”

“Actually,” Kane began. “She never really left it.”

Lexa furrowed her eyebrows at her coach. 

“I know her mother, and I would visit on occasion to see how they were doing… uh… after…” Lexa nodded, knowing what he meant. Clarke’s father. “Well, every time I went over, Clarke was outside practicing her stickwork. A few times I saw cones lined up, and she would be running drills like we do during practice.” Kane shrugged. “Maybe it was her way of coping, or her way of thinking things through.”

Lexa watched Clarke try to backhand a puck in, but Octavia was too fast for her. Clarke skated around the goal and went back in line behind the rest of the team. While in line, she caught a puck and practiced shuffling it around.

“Were they okay?” Lexa asked curiously, in a soft tone.

Kane shook his head. “The loss has really taken a toll on them. They were a mess the first week, but I think they’re doing better. I’m glad you and Clarke are more friendly with each other. I can see why she asked to be benched.”

Lexa gave Kane a confused look.

Kane explained, “The first time I visited them, Clarke was concerned about disappointing you. She told me on the spot to replace her, because she didn’t want to play with so much distraction.”

Lexa shook her head at that and merely scoffed. “Losing a loved one, especially your own father, is not a distraction. She should’ve been forward with me in the beginning.”

“She knows how much you love hockey. She didn’t want you to play and also worry about her. She didn’t want the team to worry about her.”

Lexa shook her head again and followed Clarke’s attacking form as she skated with the puck and tried to deke on Octavia. She was close to the crease, and in the last second, she pulled the puck away, making Octavia try to poke at it, but Clarke took advantage of the opening and successfully shoved it top shelf. She could practically see Octavia’s scowling through her goalie mask.

Lexa sighed. “She put everyone before herself.”

“She’s like that sometimes.”

Lexa disagreed, “Not sometimes.” She paused and watched Clarke talk to Echo and Emori, most likely giving them pointers on their shots. Clarke pointed down the stretch towards the goalie crease, and pointed to the positioning of her hand on the stick. Echo and Emori both nodded. “All the time.”

… 

Lexa spent most of her time off the ice working with the playbook and going over various common plays that Ice Born High used on them in the regular season. She wrote down plays of her own and went through various match ups in her head.

Maybe it was her photographic memory, but if she closed her eyes, she could see all the lines of Ice Born High, specifically their first line: Ontari, Roan, Quint, Krom, and Izana. Lexa clenched her jaw at the thought. It was their first line that played best against their weaknesses. Their other lines were practically skate fodder, with an exception to Ethan Kwin, the head coach’s son and a player with a very good wrist shot.

She thought of as many plays as she could and went over them briefly in Indra and Kane’s office as her teammates hit the showers.

Indra and Kane were impressed with her work, and decided to try them out come Tuesday’s practice.

Lexa saw Clarke’s locker open and her skates were underneath her bench, so she decided to go find her. She rounded the corner and passed a few teammates, greeting them with short nods, and found Clarke. She was the last one at the showers.

Lexa watched her with a smile as Clarke ran her hands through her hair and wrung it out properly. Lexa’s eyes may or may not have been lowering.

Clarke shut off the water and turned around. As she wiped the water from her face and reached for her towel, she saw Lexa standing there with a smirk spread across her face.

Clarke nearly jumped. “Jesus, Lexa.” She felt her heart race. “Trying to scare me?”

Lexa chuckled. “Sorry.”

“How long were you standing there?” Clarke asked as she patted herself down with her towel.

“Only a few minutes.”

Clarke flashed a flirtatious smile. “Like what you see?”

Lexa bit her bottom lip, but didn’t answer the question. “What are you doing for dinner?”

“No plans yet,” Clarke replied. “My mom won’t be home until late, so I was just going to pick up something quick on my way home.”

The words fell out of Lexa’s mouth before she could even think about it. “Do you want to grab dinner with me?”

Clarke raised an eyebrow. “Like… a date?”

Lexa broke out into a blush and nodded. “Yeah, if that’s okay.”

Clarke’s grin widened. “Uh sure. Can’t say I’m properly dressed for a date, though.”

Lexa chuckled again, amused, and jerked her head to the side. “I’ll wait outside for you.”

“Okay.”

… 

… 

… 

“Mm, you definitely know how to impress a girl on the first date,” Clarke said as she munched on the pizza in front of her.

Lexa let out a small laugh right after she drank her soda. “Hey, sometimes a greasy pizza and some soda is all you need after hockey practice.”

“Do you come here often?” Clarke asked.

Lexa shrugged. “Sometimes, after practice, if my brother is still around, I take him here.”

Clarke furrowed her eyebrows. “Where is he now?”

“Home. He said he had an exam to study for.” Clarke nodded and hummed with good in her mouth. “He looks up to you, you know?”

“Aden?”

Lexa nodded. “He says you’re a really good tutor.” Clarke shrugged, but she saw a small frown appear on the brunette’s face. “Maybe if I weren’t so worried about SATs, classes, and hockey, I’d be able to help him.”

Clarke furrowed her eyebrows. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up for it. Aden is really smart - smarter than he thinks. I’m actually surprised he even goes to me for tutoring.”

“Thank you, though… for being with him.”

Clarke smiled as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. “No need to thank me, Lexa.”

Lexa briefly smiled. “And this isn’t the first date, you know?”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “I don’t know if my poor attempt at getting you to come with me to the hockey equipment shop was considered a date.”

Lexa shrugged. “I thought it was a date.”

Clarke stared at her, suddenly nervous and self conscious. “Wait, really?”

Lexa nodded.

Clarke shook her head. “We went to a hotdog place afterwards.”

“I thought the hotdogs were delicious.”

“Not first date material though,” Clarke said with certainty.

Lexa chuckled. “Okay, if that wasn’t a date, then this isn’t.” Clarke raised an eyebrow and smiled. She was about to reply with a complaint, but Lexa interjected. “This is just two teammates eating together after practice.”

Clarke licked the red sauce off her lips, and Lexa caught herself staring.

“So, if this isn’t a date, then when should I expect our first date to be?” Clarke teased.

“Does tomorrow work? After practice, of course.” Lexa hummed at the thought. “Casual date, if that’s okay? I mean, I figured we’d be tired after practice, and there’s this taco place a few blocks from my house. There’s also an ice cream shop next to it. I thought it would be a good idea to--”

“Lexa,” Clarke interjected with a bright grin. She found it incredibly cute that Lexa was babbling about a date spot she scouted in passing. She thought it was sweet that Lexa was as nervous as she was. “It sounds wonderful. And, for the record, I don’t expect something over the top for a date. I’m fine with just  _ this _ .”

Lexa looked down at their pizzas and sodas, and simply nodded. Her lips curled into a smile as she said, “So, it’s a date?”

“Yes, it’s a date.”

Clarke waited for Lexa as she bought a pizza for her brother to take home; she thought it was sweet of her to do that. She also wondered why Lexa nor Aden had ever mentioned their parents. All she knew was that their parents were well into business and finance, and also very well off.

They walked to Lexa’s car, as Clarke didn’t want to casually say goodbye in passing. She watched Lexa put the pizza box in the trunk and eagerly waited for the brunette to approach her.

Lexa walked up to Clarke and nervously smiled. “See you tomorrow?”

Clarke nodded. “See you tomorrow.”

Clarke’s eyes followed Lexa’s lips that approached hers. Lexa stopped a few centimeters short and closed her eyes. “Is this okay?”

Clarke hummed her approval. “More than okay.”

Lexa’s smile widened and she slowly brought her lips to Clarke’s. Clarke smiled into the kiss as she felt Lexa’s hands hold her by her waist. Clarke held onto to the sides of Lexa’s red and black checkered flannel and tugged on it, almost in a pulling motion, asking her to kiss her again.

Lexa pulled back ever so slightly and moved her good hand to Clarke’s lower back to press their bodies flush together. She smiled as their lips met a couple more times. She nearly melted against the blonde when she heard Clarke elicit small moans.

Clarke licked her lips as Lexa pulled away. “I’ve been waiting for you to do that all day.”

Lexa chuckled and leaned forward to rest her forehead against Clarke’s. “Sorry. I could never find a good time.”

“It’s okay,” Clarke murmured softly. She pressed a kiss to the corner of Lexa’s mouth. “You should probably go before that pizza gets soggy.”

Lexa rolled her eyes. “Aden likes them soft for some reason. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

Clarke laughed as Lexa leaned in for another kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hockey, Aden, and the promise of tacos and ice cream.
> 
> And some well deserved alone time on Lexa's bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are mine.
> 
> Enjoy!

Lexa skated and grabbed a puck on her way to the goal, she hustled for a few seconds and stopped short of the goal crease. She shuffled the puck using the back of the blade, and then tried to knock it top shelf. Lexa was surprised to see a glove seamlessly appear just then.

Octavia tossed the puck to the side and winked at her. “Nice try, Commander,” she said.

Lexa smirked and skated behind the goal and behind the line that formed. She kneeled on the ice to catch her breath and felt a pair of skates come beside her.

“You okay?” Clarke asked. She tapped the edge of her blade against Lexa’s shin guards.

Lexa nodded. “I’m fine.”

Clarke knew what she was thinking. Somehow, she always knew. “Octavia has been getting a lot better.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“So, the worried look on your face isn’t because she caught it and maybe that you’re thinking your time off has affected your shot?”

Lexa smirked and merely looked up at her. Clarke smiled back at her and tapped her shin guard again.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re kicking yourself for.” Clarke grabbed a puck to the side and started shuffling it.

Lexa didn’t argue.

She got up and tried to take the puck from Clarke, but Clarke moved it back just in time. Lexa raised an eyebrow at her, and Clarke tried not to laugh.

“Don’t try me.”

“Oh, I’m not even trying,” Lexa replied casually.

“Really?” Clarke hummed teasingly.

Lexa tried to take it again, but Clarke shuffled it away from her a split second before.

“You lose your handling skills with your injury?” Clarke teased, again. It was a low blow, but it’s also what got them to have their own competition, pushing Lexa to actually try.

There was a playful tug at the corner of Lexa’s lip, and that’s what started the whole thing. Lexa pushed herself to snatch the puck from Clarke’s possession, but Clarke kept shuffling it away from her.

Kane and Indra smiled as they watched the two battle it out; they both knowingly looked at each other.

“Guess Lexa is feeling better,” Kane mentioned.

“I guess so,” Indra agreed with her arms crossed over her chest.

Lexa lunged for the puck with her stick, but Clarke shuffled it between her legs and turned around to snatch it in the curve of her stick’s blade.

Lexa pushed her stick through the blonde’s legs, but Clarke saw it coming from a mile away and began to skate away with the puck. Lexa grinded her teeth together in frustration and went after Clarke.

Their teammates heard the shuffling of skates and taps of blades against the ice, and they all looked behind them. They watched, mesmerized, by their Captain and Assistant Captain battle it out for possession.

After a couple minutes, Indra clapped her hands together to grab everyone’s attention. “Focus on the drills, you guys!”

Everyone smirked at their two teammates and got back to their regular drills.

Clarke shuffled the puck away once more. “Hey, you heard Indra.”

Lexa tried to take it again. “Yeah, I heard.”

Clarke raised an eyebrow. “Drills, Lex.”

Lexa halted her movements and rolled her eyes. “We’re not done.”

Clarke chuckled with a small smile. “Oh, I know we’re not. Always the one to never back down from a challenge, huh?”

Lexa smirked and followed the blonde to join the rest of their teammates.

After another hour of going through the drills Lexa had drafted the previous day, everyone returned to the locker room.

Indra and Kane were speaking to Lexa while everyone else was taking their showers. The meeting mostly consisted of their observations during practice, and they made sure to include Lexa in their discussions about their plays. Lexa agreed to all of their thoughts and they composed a list of things to practice the following day.

When she exited Indra and Kane’s office, Lexa noticed that everyone was pretty much gone, except for a certain blonde. To her disappointment, Clarke had already taken a shower, and was now changing into a different set of clothes than the ones she wore to school.

Lexa raised an eyebrow and tried to suppress her smile. “You brought a change of clothes?”

Clarke finished pulling down her white shirt that was half buttoned. The buttons, as Lexa immediately noticed, we’re mostly unbuttoned, giving her a very nice view of Clarke’s cleavage. She mentally noted that it was most likely (positively likely) on purpose.

Clarke broke out into a wide grin. “Yeah. If it’s an official date, I have to look good, right?”

Lexa approached her with a small, flirty smile. “But, you always look good.”

Clarke let out a short laugh. “Such a smooth talker. Not what I remember from an hour ago during practice.” Lexa rolled her eyes at her and felt a pair of lips press against hers. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

Lexa frowned. “You don’t want to watch me take a shower again?”

Clarke mimicked her frown. “Now you’re just making me sound like a creep.”

Lexa let her walk away, but not without letting her eyes fall below the blonde’s hip where dark denim jeans perfectly showcased every curve.

Twenty minutes later, Lexa met Clarke near the student parking lot. “Meet me at my house?” Lexa asked in passing, waiting for Clarke to step in beside her.

Clarke’s eyes slightly widened at the question. “Your place?”

Lexa nodded. “The taco place is probably a five minute walk from my house. It wouldn’t take long.”

“How very forward of you. Should I have brought flowers?”

Lexa tried not to entertain her, and spoke rationally. She could tell the mention of Lexa’s house sidelined her. “It’s an easier walk from there, but you don’t feel comfortable with it, I can meet you at the restaurant.”

Clarke shook her head. “No - I mean… I just… uh…”

“My parents won’t be home until next week, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Lexa replied flatly, but it didn’t help. If anything, it made Clarke turn more red. A smile briefly graced Lexa’s lips. “You’re welcome to come over afterwards, too.”

Clarke was now short of a bumbling and incoherent mess. “Uh, I don’t want to impose (I don’t want my mom to think we’re uh...).” She looked away. “My mom might kill me - I mean she won’t be home - but she’ll ask - I haven’t even talked to her about us - uh…”

Lexa chuckled and took Clarke’s hand in her’s. “You’re adorable when you’re flustered.” Clarke stared at her with wide eyes, still trying to figure out what was considered ‘the right move’. By that point, they’d only been dating for a week and a half; nearly two weeks. “I’m just teasing you, Clarke. We won’t do anything you’re not ready for. ”

“I-I know,” Clarke replied, trying to regain her composure.

They stopped short of Lexa’s car. She dropped her hockey bag near her trunk and leaned in towards the blonde. She brought up her left hand and gently caressed the side of her neck. She softly pressed their lips together in an effort to calm her down.

When Lexa pulled away, she almost laughed, because Clarke looked completely dazed.

“I’m not trying to rush us into anything,” Lexa explained.

Clarke nodded. “I know.” She ran her tongue along her bottom lip. She missed those lips against hers.

“So, I’ll meet you at the restaurant?” Lexa asked.

Clarke shook her head. “I’ll see you at your place. I want to say hi to your brother.”

Lexa frowned and pouted. “Did you really just say you wanted to come over to see Aden?”

Clarke chuckled. “I haven’t talked to him in a while.”

Lexa blinked. “Let me say that again--” She immediately felt Clarke’s lips on hers, and they kissed a couple more times afterwards.

“Trust me, I’m definitely coming over for you… even though your brother is the nicer Woods.”

Lexa rolled her eyes at that. “Whatever.”

Clarke chuckled and quickly kissed her before walking to her own car a few spots down. Lexa repressed the smile that threatened to appear by biting her bottom lip. Her eyes followed Clarke until she heard the blonde shout behind her.

“Stop staring at my ass, Woods!” 

Lexa blinked away, as if caught with her hand in the cookie jar, and quickly popped open her trunk.

…

…

…

“Clarke!” Aden greeted the blonde with a running hug. “I’ve missed you.”

Clarke laughed and hugged Aden back. “I’ve missed you, too, Aden.” Lexa, off to the side, scowled at the pair. “How have your classes been?”

“They’ve been okay,” Aden replied, pulling away. He caught his sister’s glare and immediately froze. “What?”

“Oh, don’t mind her. She’s just mad I’m not nearly as happy to see her when I see you,” Clarke dismissed her with a wave.

Lexa rolled her eyes. “I am not mad. I’m merely upset that neither of you greet me the same way.”

Aden frowned. “But, you’re my sister. I love you and all, but you’ve got resting bitch face. It’s hard to want to hug someone with RBF.”

Clarke burst into a laugh that she quickly suppressed with her hand over her mouth. She watched as Lexa’s nose scrunched up and a fire was lit in her eyes.

“What the fuck did you say about me!?” Lexa yelled.

Aden ran and hid behind Clarke, who still struggled to contain her laughter. “See what I mean?”

“Don’t think Clarke can save you, Aden,” Lexa angrily growled.

“But, you wouldn’t hurt your girlfriend!”

Lexa’s ears burned at the word. “D-Don’t bring her into this!”

Clarke seemingly ignored the g-word and simply watched as the two siblings ran around her. Lexa shouted obscenities, while Aden begged Clarke to save him.

“Lexa, let’s go before it gets too dark,” Clarke said, making Lexa stop in her tracks. Lexa merely scowled at her younger brother before feeling fingers thread through her own. “Also, I’d completely disapprove of you beating up Aden.”

“Yeah!” Aden said with his face only popping a few inches out from Clarke’s back. “What she said.” He saw his sister’s face soften thereafter.

“Fine,” Lexa grounded out.

Aden smiled at the two. “Have fun on your date!” He turned to Clarke. “Not to put too much pressure on you, but Lexa was really looking forward to it. She’s usually grumpy as fuck before school, but she was practically singing in the shower this morning. She also took super  _ super  _ long picking out what to wear.”

Lexa instantly turned her head. “Aden!” she shouted. She lunged for her brother, but Aden was too fast and ran towards the stairs, yelping and laughing. Lexa nearly went after him, but Clarke’s laughter is what stopped her. Damn, she loved it when Clarke laughed.

Lexa rolled her eyes and tried to shake off the embarrassment before she led Clarke towards the front door.

Clarke teased her all the way to the taco place, asking her to sing for her sometime. She also complimented Lexa’s outfit, making sure she admired everything it had to offer by patting Lexa’s behind and whispering in her ear.

Lexa, of course, turned beet red at the gesture.

They walked hand in hand all the way to the restaurant.

The tacos were delicious, and since they had just come from hockey practice, they nearly inhaled the food itself.

They walked back with a bag of food for Aden (Clarke insisted, much to Lexa’s grumbling) and an ice cream cone in each hand.

Aden was very pleased that they got him food, and Lexa made sure to tell him she would’ve rather seen him starve. So, Aden thanked Clarke instead.

The couple retired to Lexa’s room where they ended up watching an ongoing documentary about Ted Bundy, the serial killer.

After a pair of lips against Clarke’s neck and wandering hands, the two ended up cuddling on Lexa’s bed. Lexa’s arm was around Clarke’s shoulders and draped along her waist, while Clarke was resting her head on the inside of Lexa’s shoulder with her fingers playing with material from Lexa's shirt.

When Clarke looked up to see if Lexa was paying attention to the television, she saw that the brunette’s eyes were closed and a small smile formed on her lips.

Clarke chuckled and briefly kissed her, wondering if she would respond. When she pulled away, Lexa hummed in annoyance and frowned.

“Tease,” she murmured.

“You look tired,” Clarke replied softly.

Lexa hummed again, but this time in disagreement. “Not tired. I’m just happy.”

Clarke raised an eyebrow. “Happy?”

Lexa nodded. She opened her eyes, and light green eyes stared at light blue ones. She leaned in and kissed the blonde. “Really happy.”

“Oh?” Clarke asked. Her thumb gently ran across a bit of skin underneath the brunette’s shirt, right above the waistband of her jeans. They both leaned in and kissed, gently and slowly. Clarke’s hand explored a bit more, and soon, her fingers were on Lexa’s stomach. 

Lexa beamed and gently turned them over, so Clarke was on her back and she was hovering over her.

Lexa’s left hand played with the hem of Clarke’s shirt, flipping between material and soft skin. Her lips left Clarke’s and moved lower to the blonde’s neck. She heard the blonde gasp underneath her, and then, just as she moved lower to her collar, she heard Aden call out Clarke’s name.

One knock and the door was already flown open.

Lexa practically threw herself off Clarke. “Aden!” She yelled angrily. Clarke chuckled at Lexa and sat up from the bed. “I told you not to come into my room!”

“But I knocked,” Aden replied with a shrug.

“What’s up, Aden?” Clarke asked, letting her hand fall on Lexa’s thigh in hopes it would quell her anger.

“Do you think you could help me with a math problem?” he asked.

Lexa angrily glared at him. “Seriously!? That’s what you came in to ask for?”

Clarke patted Lexa’s thigh and kissed her cheek. “I’ll only be a moment.” Clarke left with Aden, and Lexa inwardly groaned. She flopped on her bed and sighed to herself.

Clarke came back a few minutes later, making sure to close the door behind her. They resumed their cuddling, but their activity before flew out the window. Clarke wasn’t sure if it was due to the fact that Aden could walk in any moment, or if Lexa was too shy to start it again. Instead, Clarke asked Lexa about her family.

“Do your parents work a lot?”

Lexa nodded. “They’re in business and finance for a large corporation. They often need to travel, but they’re only gone for a week max at a time.”

Clarke hummed in acknowledgement. “Is it just you and Aden most of the time?”

Lexa nodded, again. “Our parents are rarely home for dinner, or they come home well past dinner time. I usually cook for Aden, or bring something home for him on my way back from practice.”

Clarke frowned. “And you guys are okay?”

Lexa shrugged. “I know Aden hates it that our parents are gone so much, but I’m used to it.”

“I’ve never seen them at our games.” Clarke saw the momentary sadness in Lexa’s eyes.

“They’ve never been able to make it. They used to when I played at my other school, but then they got a promotion and… things haven’t been the same since.” She paused and her frown became more prominent. “I was jealous of you, you know.”

Clarke was surprised to hear that. “Huh?”

“I’d always see your dad at our games and sometimes at practice. He’d cheer you on and he’d congratulate you after a game, even if we lose.” Lexa shuffled closer to the blonde. “I was jealous that my parents were too busy to do that for me. Maybe that’s why I acted the way I did when you asked to be benched.”

Clarke frowned and solemnly stared at Lexa’s shirt that was bunched between her fingers.

“I’m sorry if I made you sad… I shouldn’t have mentioned him.”

Clarke shook her head. “It’s okay, Lexa.” She felt a pair of lips press and linger against the crown of her head. She felt Lexa hold her tighter, and Clarke mimicked her gesture. She closed her eyes and focused on the brunette’s fast paced heartbeat.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Playoffs finals is right around the corner, Lexa tells Clarke about Costia, and Dr. Abigail Griffin has her fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are mine.
> 
> Enjoy!

Their practice the next day was focused on the specific plays they picked the previous day. Indra and Kane introduced them and their methods, and why they were being used and what case scenarios they should be used for. Lexa further explained her reasoning for thinking of them, and the entire team nodded in agreement, trusting Lexa one-hundred percent.

Even Clarke didn’t ask questions like she normally did, and she normally did it just to get under Lexa’s skin.

“The only way this play works is if everyone is in position and keeps their eyes on their target. Are we in agreement?” Lexa asked, looking at everyone in the eye.

Everyone nodded, and then they looked at Clarke, who was off to the side, leaning on her stick with her glove covering the top. Clarke was surprised by the gesture and looked at everyone else.

“What?” Clarke asked. “She’s the Captain.”

Indra smirked. “Then, let’s begin, shall we?”

Everyone skated off, except for Lexa and Clarke.

“I thought you’d challenge me on it,” Lexa said.

Clarke chuckled. “I didn’t have much to say. Your plan is perfect.” She saw Lexa’s smile. “And yes, this is me,  _ purposefully  _ stroking your ego.” She winked and skated off, allowing Lexa to privately admire her.

They practiced their new plays for a good hour, refining their timing and their technique. At the very end of their practice, Indra and Kane pulled Lexa and Clarke aside.

Indra pointed at the arrow that went straight to the net. “It’s a dangerous move, Lexa.”

Lexa stared at it and frowned, obviously conflicted with her choice. “It is,” she agreed. “But, it must be done.”

Kane looked at Clarke and noticed the blonde wore the same expression as Lexa: determination. “Roan is massive. He’ll destroy her.”

Lexa looked over at Clarke, who merely nodded. “I can take it.”

“Are you sure?” Lexa asked worriedly.

Clarke met Lexa’s gaze; she saw worry and fear, and concern. Roan was like a brick wall, and if it came down to it, their play might cost them a player.

“Yes. Roan won’t think twice. He’s too hard headed to realize what’s happening, and by the time it happens, it’ll be too late.”

Indra grit her teeth. “Clarke--”

“I’ll do it,” Clarke interjected. “I can take the hit.”

Indra and Kane looked at each other, and then they both nodded.

As if it were a normal routine of theirs, Lexa and Clarke were the last ones to hit the showers. They’d be lying if they said they didn’t take peeks at each other.

Clarke and Lexa found themselves in Lexa’s bed again, and they cuddled up to each other, just like last time.

The only difference was that Lexa made the move to lock her door, so Aden wouldn’t interrupt them. She nearly tore him to shreds after Clarke left that night.

Clarke drew circles onto Lexa’s shirt, right above her stomach, and stared, as if deep in thought.

“When did you know you were gay?” Clarke asked.

Lexa chuckled; her fingers drummed against Clarke’s waist. “Do you remember that dance? The one that the staff ‘awarded’ us with for all the academic shit?”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “Oh god. Yeah.”

“I was dancing with James Masterson, and I really  _ really _ wanted the floor to open up and swallow me. He even tried to kiss me, and I nearly screamed and ran away.” Lexa’s smile widened at the memory. “I didn’t want to dance with him.” Clarke furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at Lexa. “I saw you with your friends, dancing and having fun, and I realized… I wanted to dance with you.”

Clarke’s eyes widened in shock. “Me?”

Lexa nodded. “You looked really cute in your dress. I know you didn’t want to dance with anyone that night, but I wanted to take you to the dance floor, and see you smile and hear you laugh.”

Clarke furrowed her eyebrows as the idea dawned on her. “Wait…” She got up from Lexa’s arms and sat in front of her. “Have you ever been with a girl before?”

Lexa stared at Clarke and got up from her spot on her bed. She nodded. “Yeah.”

Clarke looked shocked. “Wait, really? I’ve never seen you with anyone at school.”

Lexa’s gaze lowered as a solemn expression spread across her face. “Her name was Costia. She goes to Ice Born High.”

Clarke almost choked. “What?!” She paused, mouth gaped. “You flirted with the enemy?” 

Lexa smirked and threw a pillow at Clarke’s head, who only caught it. “She doesn’t play any sports. We met at a dinner party that I went to with my parents.” She elaborated, “A work function.” She then continued, “I didn’t know she went to Ice Born High at the time.”

“How long ago was this?”

“Last year.”

Clarke raised her eyebrows. “What happened?”

Lexa began to frown. “We hung out a lot after school, and sometimes on the weekends. I forgot how, but we ended up kissing. We liked being around each other, and she even admitted to liking me.” Clarke waited for the ‘but’. “But, her parents weren’t so fond of me.”

Clarke was flabbergasted. “What the fuck? But, you’re the Captain of the fucking hockey team and you’re a role model student, right behind me, of course. You’re practically at the top of the academic charts (again, right behind me). How could they not like you?”

Lexa felt a tug at her lips whenever Clarke tried to showboat her own academic prowess.

“Oh, believe me, they liked  _ that _ part about me…” Lexa suddenly stopped. Her gaze raised to meet Clarke’s. Her solemn expression and minor flash of pain across her features is all that Clarke needed to see to get the hint.

Clarke looked disgusted and shocked. “What the fuck? They didn’t like you, because you’re gay?”

“Costia never told them, and when they caught us kissing, they asked Costia not to see me.”

“And she agreed not to?”

Lexa looked away, almost as if she were ashamed. “Costia loves her parents. She always spoke highly of them and how they treated her better than any other kid’s parents at Ice Born High. Her parents were always affectionate and supportive, but not in  _ that _ way. They didn’t want their child to be associated with someone like me. I don’t know if they were just trying to protect her, or if they were homophobic… or maybe they weren’t ready to accept that part of their daughter. All I know is that Costia complied with their wishes and told me she couldn’t see me anymore.”

Clarke stared at Lexa in disbelief. She could see how much the whole ordeal hurt Lexa. She knew Lexa tried to hide her feelings as much as possible, but, for some reason, she could see straight through her. She could see the tears that wanted to escape, even though they never showed, and she could see the pain she was trying so hard to suppress. She wondered if Lexa blamed herself.

Clarke shuffled forward on her knees and tossed the pillow to the side. She grabbed Lexa’s face with her hands and forced her to look at her in the eyes.

Blue eyes, soft and determined, searched Lexa’s green ones.

“It’s her loss.”

Lexa flashed a small smile. “Maybe...”

“Lexa… She… she shouldn’t have done that to you. That’s… I’m… Her parents, I mean… they...”

Lexa brought up her right hand and gently grasped onto Clarke’s wrist. She leaned into Clarke’s body and nodded, understanding what she was trying to say.

Clarke could feel her heart break as the woman in front of her seemingly opened the door to the walls that she’d built for so long. And Clarke wanted nothing more than to push through them and hold the girl in her arms.

No one should ever have to go through that.

“I really like you, Lexa,” Clarke murmured.

“I know,” Lexa replied softly.

Clarke let out a huff. “Well, now I don’t know if you’re being arrogant, or sentimental.”

Lexa let out a laugh; a real, genuine laugh. She leaned up and kissed Clarke, making her topple onto the bed on her back. She kissed Clarke a couple times before she moved her lips to the spot below Clarke’s ear.

“I really like you, too, Clarke,” Lexa whispered, before she kissed the blonde again.

…

…

…

“Practice today will be short, since we need all of you in tip top shape for tomorrow,” Indra announced. “Our battle against Ice Born High is around the corner, so give it your all today, and get a good night’s rest. And then, tonight, ease your mind and don’t stress about tomorrow. You’ve prepared as much as you can, and the only thing you can ask of yourself is if you’ll be giving one-hundred percent.” She paused and looked around at her players. “And in return, what do you say? Octavia?”

Octavia smirked. “Not one-hundred percent. Two-hundred percent.”

Indra let out a laugh and nodded. “Two-hundred percent. Show me what that looks like!”

The players let out their chants and began to skate their laps, all while shuffling pucks in front of them. Octavia took her spot at the goal post and made sure to catch every single puck that flew at her.

Since practice was cut short, Lexa asked Clarke what she was doing afterwards. At first, Clarke thought Lexa wanted to go out on another date, and she even teased her for asking so soon, but Lexa had other plans.

“Did you want to help me practice?” Lexa asked, pulling up her jeans and fastening the buttons.

Clarke pulled her shirt over her head. “Help you practice?”

“Stickwork.”

Clarke chuckled. “You want a rematch, you mean?” She referred to their encounter a couple days ago. She saw Lexa nod. Clarke stuck her chin up and grinned. “You really want to lose  _ again _ ?” She loved doing that to Lexa; she loved teasing the brunette until steam came out of her ears.

Lexa clenched her jaw and met Clarke’s challenging smirk. “I won’t lose.”

Clarke laughed. “Okay, sure. Meet me at my place, and don’t worry, my mom won’t be home till late.” She threw a wink in, making sure she got Lexa back for the last time. She saw Lexa get flustered a bit, but she instantly knew what the blonde was up to.

… 

Clarke grabbed a puck from a bucket in the garage and set it down between them. She handed Lexa one of her outdoor sticks and began to shuffle the puck side to side.

Lexa watched the puck and then looked up at Clarke. Clarke briefly looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. Her smirk that spread across her face taunted the brunette, and Lexa, in attempts to wipe that smug look off Clarke’s face, tried to poke check the puck, but it missed.

Clarke shuffled it again, and Lexa, again, tried to poke check it, but Clarke brought the puck towards her and through her feet. She twisted her body and shuffled the puck back into position.

“How do you do that?” Lexa asked in frustration.

“Do what?” Clarke stopped and brought her stick up horizontal on her hip.

“I try to poke at it all the time.”

Clarke smirked. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

“Clarke, stop being a smart ass,” Lexa replied.

Clarke almost laughed at how frustrated Lexa looked. “Well, as you’ve probably noticed, my stickhandling wasn’t so good freshman year. It was all over the place, and really, I only got lucky that our opponents sucked more than me during our games.” She brought the blade of her stick down onto the concrete and began to knock the puck side to side. “My dad was the one that taught me how to be three steps ahead of my opponent. We used to play a lot of chess together, so he used that as a metaphor. But, when you’re a beginner, you don’t start running. You start walking.”

Lexa furrowed her eyebrows as she followed her ideology.

Clarke continued, “So, my dad taught me how to think. If he’s sliding the puck one way, there are only a few moves your opponent can do, and you narrow it down from there. At first, it sounds tough, because the puck moves so fast, but I practiced like hell with my dad every day after he got home. Even after he passed, I asked my mom to practice with me when she could.” She smiled as she flicked the puck to the side and shuffled her feet to lean over and stop the puck with the curve of her blade.

Lexa was no longer watching the puck; she was watching Clarke’s expression. As she talked about her father, she noticed that Clarke was smiling. She wondered how Clarke was able to look so strong after losing someone so close to her. She smiled as she realized how it attributed to the reason why everyone looked up to Clarke; her peers, younger peers, and even teachers; they all looked up to her in some way, shape, or form.

“Want to try again?” Clarke teased, looking up, nearly sticking her tongue out at her.

Lexa scowled at her and hunched over, signaling her readiness.

Clarke brought the puck in front and loosened her stance. She shuffled the puck from side to side. Lexa’s eyes flicked from Clarke’s face to the puck, and without thinking about making a move, she tried to poke the puck out, but Clarke was quick and cut the puck short enough, so it could never reach Lexa’s blade.

Lexa frowned at the move and resumed her position.

She watched the puck and tried to think of Clarke’s theory of how to be steps ahead of your opponent. She watched the puck, and right as Clarke flicked it to the right, Lexa stuck her stick out to where the pick should’ve gone, but it never came. Clarke managed to angle her flick, so it went towards her instead of the straight line Lexa was used to.

Clarke let out a small laugh, and that only pissed off Lexa more.

They resumed their position.

Clarke shuffled it once more, and, as her gaze briefly flicked to Lexa’s, she was caught off guard.

Lexa leaned in and kissed her. Clarke, completely baffled, stood there stiff like a tree. With her eyes wide, she heard Lexa take the puck from her.

“I win,” Lexa announced.

Clarke began to blush. “The fuck? You cheated.”

Lexa’s smirk seamlessly spread to her eyes. “I was three steps ahead of you though.”

Clarke, now flustered, began to stutter. “W-What!? No-no-no, t-that doesn’t count.”

Lexa laughed at Clarke’s attempt to take the puck from her. She brought her arm out and wrapped it around the blonde’s waist, pulling her flush against her own body. The puck was off to the side, forgotten, and their eyes stared at the opposite person’s lips.

“I’m pretty sure it counts,” Lexa murmured.

“Ch-Cheater.”

Lexa broke out into a wide grin and slowly pressed her lips against Clarke’s. The two fell into step as they brought their freehand up to deepen the kiss as much as possible. Clarke felt lips leave hers and then felt Lexa’s close the gap at a different angle.

“Ahem.”

They both heard a throat clear itself. They broke apart and immediately looked at the offender: Clarke’s mom, Abigail Griffin.

If spontaneous human combustion was a thing, Lexa would’ve done it in a nanosecond. She literally felt her soul leave her body as Clarke’s mom stared at them with a raised eyebrow.

“Hi, Mom,” Clarke tried to play it cool. Lexa released Clarke from her grasp and refused to look at Abby in the eye.

“Clarke…” she turned to the woman next to her daughter. “Lexa.”

Lexa pressed her lips together, ashamed and wanting to die. “Dr. Griffin.”

“How’s the wrist?” Abby asked with a brief smirk.

“It’s better.”

“Good.” She walked up the driveway and made sure to shoot her daughter a look. “Are you kids hungry? I brought home some food.”

“Yep, really hungry!” Clarke replied as casually as she could.

Once they heard Abby retreat into the house, Lexa wanted to sprint out of there. “Should I leave?” Lexa asked in a panic. “My car is  _ right there _ . It’s an easy getaway.”

“What?” Clarke shrugged. “I mean, I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Clarke, your mom saw me make out with you.”

“Yeah, and?” 

“Your mom looked like she wanted to kill me.”

Clarke hummed at the thought. “Yeah, she did.”

Lexa let out an exasperated sigh. “She hates me. I kissed her daughter without permission  _ in her own driveway _ . She’s going to kill me. She’s a surgeon. She can do that. I’m sure she knows how to make it look like an accident, too.” She felt hands cup her face.

Clarke was laughing. “Lexa, stop. My mom is cool. If anything, my dad would’ve been the one to kill you.”

Lexa frowned at her. “You’re not making me feel any better about this.”

Clarke laughed again and took her hand. “C’mon. I’m sure my mom doesn’t mind.”

… 

Fried rice, mushroom chicken, garlic string beans, and some sweadish meatballs.

Clarke nearly inhaled the food while Lexa was trying to eat as politely as possible. She didn’t want to give a bad first impression.

“So,” Abby began with a sweet smile. “You girls have anything you want to tell me?”

Lexa froze in her seat.

Clarke shot her mom a look. “Mom, stop. You’re making Lexa uncomfortable.”

Abby chuckled behind her hand. “I’m sorry, Lexa. I couldn’t resist.”

“Huh?” Lexa asked, confused at the two.

Abby sighed in content. “Clarke told me yesterday that you two were dating.”

Lexa furrowed your eyebrows. “And you’re okay with it?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Her expression changed instantly. “Unless you’re not being good to my daughter?”

Lexa’s back straightened as her eyes widened. “W-What? No-- I mean, yes.”

“Mom!” Clarke groaned, and hissed her reply, “Stop it.”

Abby couldn’t help herself. “You know, Clarke’s father would’ve been the one to grill you with answers, Lexa. Hell, I’m sure he would’ve chased you off our property if he caught you two.”

Clarke rolled her eyes as Lexa looked away, trying not to show her fear. Lexa’s only moment to breathe was when Clarke rested her hand on her thigh. She squeezed it, hoping it would bring the brunette some comfort.

When their gazes met, they both smiled.

“Let her eat, Mom.”

Abby put up her hands in defense. “Okay, okay. I concede. You’re welcome here anytime, Lexa.”

Lexa was confused. “So, you’re not mad that we’re dating?”

Abby chuckled. “It’s more than  _ okay _ , Lexa. I trust Clarke with her judgement. I think the only person I didn’t approve of was that Collins boy.” She rolled her eyes. “Even her father hated him.”

Clarke rolled her eyes at that, and Lexa merely broke out into a smile.

“Clarke talks about you all the time, sometimes positive, sometimes negative, but I’m sure Clarke’s father would’ve loved you, Lexa.”

When Lexa looked at Clarke, she saw her cheeks turn a particular shade of red.

Thirty minutes later, Clarke led Lexa through the front door and towards her car.

“Sorry about that,” Clarke apologized.

Lexa felt a tug at her lips. “I’m glad your mom didn’t actually threaten me with bodily harm like most parents do when they catch their kid kissing someone.”

Clarke chuckled. “She’s only ever done that to Finn, I think.”

Lexa’s smile widened. “I’m glad your mom thinks I’m a much better choice.”

Clarke agreed, “Oh, you are definitely a much better choice.” She leaned in and pressed her lips against Lexa’s. Lexa wanted to thread her fingers in the blonde’s hair and pull them together to deepen the kiss, but in the back of her mind, she figured Abby was watching them from afar and thus had to suppress the urge.

Lexa pulled away after the second kiss and then tilted her head up to kiss the blonde’s forehead.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Clarke nodded and beamed at Lexa. “Tomorrow.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The playoffs finals match: Polis High versus Ice Born High.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are mine.
> 
> Enjoy!

Clarke felt nervous the entire day at school.

People passed her, some waved at her, and most people pepped her up with words of encouragement.

It was always like this during _that_ time of the year.

The team wore their jerseys around campus and most students wore numberless ones in support.

The only difference between this championship finals and the last two that they’d been to was that their final match was against Ice Born High, Polis High’s rival.

Ice Born High rose to the top of the leaderboard with their new recruit, Roan, and the head coach’s son, Ethan Kwin. They didn’t have them on their roster the previous years.

There was a rumor that Roan was scouted and recruited from a different school. Ethan Kwin’s name carried itself through the scouting grounds for High School, but it was obvious that he’d be going to Ice Born High on account of his mother.

Clarke could feel her heart beat faster and faster as the day went on. The more people that asked her for a high five, the more nervous she felt.

The only time she ever felt her nervousness melt away at an instant was when Lexa’s hand found hers through the crowded hallways of their school.

She looked down at the gesture and then saw Lexa’s comforting green eyes. She smiled endearingly at Clarke before venturing off to her own class. Somehow, Lexa knew how Clarke felt. Maybe all of their teammates felt the same way; it was hard to tell when Octavia was super pumped up throughout the entire day as she could be heard, chanting with fellow classmates and high fiving each and every one of them.

Clarke stopped at her AP Literature class.

She peered inside and saw Raven, Echo, and Maya; they were all chatting and smiling.

_It’s going to be okay. Everything will be fine._ She held her breath, closed her eyes, and felt a smile tug at her lips. Raven, Echo, and Maya cheerfully greeted her as she approached them, and they started talking about some weird reality television show that was on last night.

Clarke felt her nervousness leave her body as Maya said something that made all four of them break out into laughter.

…

…

…

Clarke was lacing her skates when a hand fell onto her thigh. She smiled at the gesture and looked up at Lexa, who was in the middle of putting her skates on.

“You okay?” Lexa asked.

Clarke nodded. “I think so.”

“Nervous?”

“Aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

Clarke chuckled and sarcastically added, “You have an interesting way of showing it.” After she finished lacing her skates, she reached into her back to take out her wristguards, but Lexa’s hand shot out and grabbed Clarke’s.

Clarke looked down at Lexa’s hand as she pulled Clarke’s onto her lap and sandwiched it between both of her hands. Clarke was confused about the gesture until she felt both of Lexa’s hands shake nervously.

Clarke’s gaze met Lexa’s. The blonde’s slowly curled into a comforting smile, and Lexa mimicked it. It was weird how much comfort they found in each other in the past month and a half. Before that, before they realized how much they helped each other through unspoken challenges and rivalry, they would’ve been at each other’s throat, hogging the puck and thinking of plays to one up the other. They’d be scowling at each other as they passed in the hallway.

Clarke’s smile deepend at the realization of how much she admired Lexa. Their gazes refused to leave each other, until they heard Octavia’s teasing words.

“I think Clarke won the staring contest, Lexa.”

Clarke smirked and pulled her hand away. Lexa merely rolled her eyes and got back to lacing her skates. Octavia smiled at the two as she left the locker room, proudly donning her goalie gear.

…

The warm up skate around was mostly a stare down between the two schools.

Using little of their strength, each team careless shot pucks at their goaltenders. Neither school wanted to show off their power, even if it were to intimidate them.

Their two previous matches that year were both won by Ice Born High; not by their power or their strategic plays, but by skill.

Where Lexa was dominant, so was Roan.

Where Clarke excelled, Ethan Kwin matched her.

Ontari, the Ice Born High diva (as Costia put it), equally matched Monroe, Harper, and Echo. Their other teammates weren’t better than theirs, but they took any command to heart and their star players filled the gaps.

As Lexa stretched on the ice in front of the bench, she stared at Roan. Roan was talking to Ontari and Quint.

“Why does it look like he got bigger?” Clarke asked, kneeling next to Lexa and following her gaze.

Lexa pressed her lips together. “At least I’m not the only one that’s thinking that.”

Emori kneeled in front of them, also beginning to stretch. “He looks like a fucking truck. No way he’s a High Schooler, right?”

Clarke chuckled. “Well, he is a senior. He’s graduating this year.”

Lexa nodded. “Which means he’s desperate for the win today.” She looked at Clarke, and Clarke swallowed nervously. Emori went off to warm up her hands, leaving Clarke and Lexa to stretch.

Lexa watched Clarke’s gaze; it was still fixed on Roan.

“If you’re having second thoughts, Clarke.”

Clarke shook her head. “I’ll be okay.”

Lexa gave her a nod. “Just let me know.”

“Don’t worry about me, Commander,” Clarke teased with a smirk. Lexa replied with a smile and watched Clarke skate away. When she looked back down the other end, she caught Ontari, Quint, Krom, and Izana staring at her. They knowingly looked between each other before glaring at Lexa intently.

Uneasiness rose in Lexa’s stomach.

After another ten minutes of warm up, the referees signaled for the game to start.

“Gather around!” Indra called them. Everyone approached the bench, obviously nervous. Indra smiled at them. “Our opponents are tough, yes, but they don’t know the shit we went through to get here.” Kane pulled a face at Indra. “You’ve all worked hard. You’ve all worked tirelessly. You’ve all proven to me that you belong here, in this arena, in this rink, and at this very match. We’ve all sacrificed something to be here, so let’s not leave this ice without a damn good fight.”

Clarke met Lexa’s gaze, and they both smiled.

Indra put her hand out, and so did everyone else. 

“GROUNDERS!”

…

Harper and Ontari met at the face off circle.

Ontari’s glare was razor sharp, but Harper was too focused to care. The puck dropped, and Ontari knocked it to her side. Roan caught it and waited for his line to get in position.

They all raced to their attacking zone.

Lexa matched with Roan. She followed his every move until he started to shuffle the puck. Lexa was familiar with his plan. Roan was hard headed, that much was certain, so she knew he was going to attempt to deke.

She thought of Clarke’s words last night. _Three steps ahead. Think of the outcomes._

Her eyes watched Roan’s blade. She saw the puck knock against the curve, but his stick orientation and handle positioning stayed the same, which meant…

In a blink of an eye, she poke checked the puck away and raced with it down the other way. Her team cheered her on as their side changed to offense.

Quint and Krom blocked her way, making her dump the puck into the corner.

Lexa tried to squeeze past them, but they botched that too.

All three of them clashed in the corner boards, battling for the puck. With Roan near the goal crease, Lexa was able to win the battle. She kicked the puck to the other corner, and she raced after it. She beat Ontari to the puck and was about to pass it out to Harper, but at the last possible moment, she saw a stick purposefully come down on her right hand.

Lexa grit her teeth and changed her angle of her pass to avoid the stick, making her pass go out to the neutral zone. They still had possession, but now they had to attack inwards again.

This went on for fifteen minutes.

“They know of your injury,” Clarke murmured as they sat on the bench and watched their teammates on the ice.

Lexa nodded. “They’re playing dirty.”

Clarke worriedly looked at her. “Lexa--”

“I can handle them, Clarke.” She bumped her shoulder against Clarke. “I’ll be okay.” She knew Clarke hated seeing her get hurt the last time.

With two minutes left in the first period, Nia Kwin called on their second line, and Clarke and Lexa watched as Ethan Kwin raced to their zone. Their teammates were trying to get the puck back out, but Ontari was relentless in her attack.

Quint backhanded the puck out of the corner and towards the goal crease. Octavia managed to poke it away, but it was right into Ethan Kwin’s stick.

Even though there were three bodies in front of the goal crease and Octavia’s glove was up, Ethan Kwin still managed to wrist shot the puck straight to the net.

“Shit,” Clarke hissed.

Lexa watched the other team celebrate. “It’s okay. We’ll get it back.”

…

The second period saw very little action. With Ice Born High one goal up, they were on the defense, and they always pitted Roan against Lexa, knowing full well that they were equal in strength.

Even though she bested him in one-on-one battles and her team’s passes were as clean and calculated, they couldn’t get the puck into the net.

Ice Borne High’s goalie wasn’t huge, but he definitely did his homework. He blocked Lexa and Clarke’s attempts to knock it top shelf, successfully blocked Monroe’s attempted wrap arounds, and even poked away Echo’s lower shots.

Lexa’s passes were off, but rightfully so. Every time she tried to make a play, there would be an attempt to slash at her right hand, and she needed to protect herself even though the slashes were subtle. If anything, they were only trying to scare her into thinking they’d injure her, but it was working.

…

The first ten minutes of the third period played out the same, only Ice Born High bunkered down on defense.

Indra pressed her lips together. She briefly looked at the score and the time, and then called on her first line. There was only eight minutes left.

“Clarke,” Indra called.

Clarke looked back after she hopped over the barrier. Indra nodded at her, and she nodded back.

In the previous play, Octavia gloved the shot attempt and held it, making the faceoff come to their end.

Lexa faced off against Ontari. Ontari’s glare was stone cold, and Lexa briefly wondered what kind of stick was up her ass.

Lexa smirked as the ref dropped the puck in front of them. She easily knocked it to her side, making Ontari scoff and race to join her teammates to go on defense.

Emori was about to pass it to Monroe, who was about a few meters in diagonally in front of her, but the enemy intercepted the pass and attempted to race to the net.

Lexa challenged him and poke checked the puck out of his possession, but into the side boards. They clashed against the boards, trying to get the puck in their favor, but the battle was head to head with no clear winner.

Clarke stared at the scuffle and felt her heart race. She could hear her own heart beat in her ears. She trusted Lexa. She always did. _Three steps ahead._

She slowly backed away, making sure to stay inside their zone to avoid an offsides call, but she stayed on the edge. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ontari try to help her teammate, and then she saw Roan ways away, anticipating the puck to be passed to him. She saw Emori and Echo flank Roan and Quint. Izana was starting to skate to the front of the goal crease.

Clarke’s eyes widened. Lexa squeezed out of the scuffle and managed to grab the puck before the other two could. She shot it to the edge of the blue line, knowing full well who was there waiting for her.

Clarke followed the puck into the neutral zone and skated as if her life depended on it.

She was on a breakaway.

“Fuck,” Roan mumbled under his breath as he raced after the blonde. He was bigger and more agile, and according to Lexa, he was faster than any of them.

Six minutes left.

Roan was hot on Clarke’s tail.

Clarke looked up at the goalie right before she hit the goal crease.

It was common for Clarke to try to knock it top shelf whenever she got within arms reach of the goal crease, and Clarke knew this. All game, she’d only tried top shelf, and she used that to her advantage.

The goalie watched her stick and watched her angle it for the same attempt.

He brought his glove out, anticipating a top shelf. He watched Clarke slow down and lean to the side, trying to angle her shot, but before she could flick her wrist, Roan cross-checked her in the arm, causing her to lose balance and fall onto the ice at an angle.

From Lexa’s angle, it looked like Clarke hit the ice, hard, and on her head.

“Clarke!” Lexa shouted.

The ref blew his whistle and stopped the game.

Lexa raced down to the other end with her teammates right behind her.

Roan backed away, not yet realizing the full extent of his actions. He put his hands up in defense as Lexa and her teammates approached Clarke’s body on the ice.

Indra and Kane both ran off the bench.

Lexa pulled off Clarke’s helmet. “Clarke?”

Clarke groaned as she winced. “Did I make it in?”

Lexa let out a breath of relief and tried not to laugh. “Not quite.”

Kane knelt next to Clarke. “Clarke, you okay?”

Clarke nodded. “I think so.”

The refs asked the players to go back to their benches, and they performed a routine check on Clarke to make sure she didn’t have a concussion.

Lexa and Roan stood back, but stayed since they were both Captains.

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Roan tried to say.

Lexa glared at him. “I hope it wasn’t, otherwise we’d have a whole other problem.”

“I promise, I wasn’t trying to hurt her.”

Lexa continued to glare at him, despite his words.

“You care about her,” Roan murmured. He may be hard headed, but he wasn’t oblivious.

“I care about all my teammates.”

Roan smirked and sarcastically added, “Right.” He paused and watched Clarke get up from the ice. “Completely opposite from Ice Born High.”

The linesman came up to the middle of the ice. “Polis High’s number thirteen was in the goal crease before Ice Born High’s number twenty-three cross checked her. Referees have agreed that she was in the middle of a shot attempt.” He signaled to Polis High’s bench. “Penalty shot. Polis High, number thirteen.”

Polis High’s bench cheered amongst themselves, while Nia Kwin tried to challenge the call. The linesman approached Ice Born High’s bench, trying to reason with their head coach. 

The call stood.

Clarke skated with Lexa to their bench.

“You okay?” Lexa asked worriedly.

Clarke nodded. “You were right. You knew he was going to do that.”

Lexa smirked. “You were right to trust me.”

They both knew they were talking about the play near the boards and Clarke’s accurate reading.

“I don’t think I’ve ever _not_ trusted you, Lexa,” Clarke replied with a sweet smile. Thank god Lexa’s helmet blocked Clarke from seeing her blush.

Kane crossed his arms and motioned for Clarke to come forward.

“Clarke--”

Clarke smirked. “I know what to do.”

Kane was surprised, as was everyone else. “You do?”

Clarke nodded. “I’ve noticed a few things about their goalie.”

Moments later, Clarke circled the face off circle in the middle of the rink. She skated back and forth, waiting for the ref to blow his whistle to start the penalty shot.

When the whistle sounded, Clarke heard her own heartbeat in her ears again. She tried to even out her breathing in efforts to put her mind at ease.

It felt like the whole thing played out in slow motion.

Every time she skated and shuffled the puck side to side, she could feel her heart knock against her eardrums.

She looked up at Ice Born High’s goalie and saw his eyes fixated on hers.

As she skated closer, his eyes didn’t leave hers. It was only when she changed the orientation on her stick that his eyes shifted to her stick’s blade.

He was watching and waiting for her top shelf attempt, just like the last fifteen times he’s successfully blocked her shot.

So, she went for the same attempt, knowing full well he was looking for it.

She tried to fake him out once with a deke. His goalie stick followed, but his stance didn’t change.

She slowed at the crease and changed the angle of her blade so it would look like she was going to top shelf it. Once he brought up his glove to mimic her movements, she changed her angle again and knocked it lower than expected.

Clarke’s heart skipped a beat.

The goalie’s eyes widened, and in a feeble attempt to lower his glove, he accidentally knocked the top of the puck, making it tumble over his pads and into the net.

“Fuck yes!” Clarke said through her teeth.

Her bench loudly cheered her on as she approached it for a line of fist bumps.

She looked back at the goalie she’d just scored on and saw that he was visibly upset.

“How did you do that?” Lexa asked curiously. “You knew where he was going to position himself, yet you went for it anyways.”

Clarke smiled at her, knowingly. “Three steps ahead, right?”

Lexa widened her smile and nodded. “Of course.”

“Nice _fucking_ job, Clarke,” Octavia cheerfully, knocking her goalie stick against Clarke’s shinguards.

Kane briefly glared at Octavia.

Octavia shrugged. “Sorry. It was in the moment.”

Kane raised an eyebrow at her. “Uh huh.”

…

With the score tied, 1 to 1, and the clock at five minutes, both teams were in desperation mode.

A tie meant overtime, but neither team wanted that.

Lexa _especially_ didn’t want a tie, because Ice Born High was known for their aggressive overtime strategies, and their overtime win to loss ratio record that year was impressive.

Indra looked over at the other team’s bench and noticed their second line was going out. Ethan Kwin was no doubt going to try to wrist flick another impressive goal. Indra looked over at Kane, and Kane was also looking at Ethan.

“Lexa was right,” Kane murmured. He looked at Indra and she nodded at him.

Kane announced the next line up. “Second line. Clarke, take Emori’s position. Emori, you’re going to switch with Sadie.”

Both Clarke and Emori nodded. Before Clarke could skate away, Lexa tugged on her jersey. Clarke turned around with a questioning hum.

Green eyes met blue.

“Good luck.”

Clarke’s smile widened. “I don’t think I need luck, Commander.” Teammates skated past them. “I just need you.” She winked at Lexa before she skated away.

Lexa felt a rush of hotness creep up her neck and to her ears. She sat down on the bench with the rest of her teammates, getting ready for the next, and last, line change.

The teams met at the main faceoff circle.

Clarke skated right next to Ethan, her intended target.

Ethan looked up at Clarke, and Clarke merely smirked.

“You won’t win,” he said.

“That’s up to interpretation,” Clarke replied playfully.

“I’ve been watching you.”

“Creepy.”

Ethan tried not to smile. “You’re really good.”

Clarke briefly widened her eyes. “Creepy and polite. Interesting combination.”

Ethan smirked and followed Clarke’s gaze. The ref lifted the puck above the two center players, and it all seemed like it was playing out in slow motion: the ref’s fingers uncurled and the puck dropped, and both seemed to happen at a snail’s pace.

When it finally dropped, Ethan looked up and saw that Clarke had already moved past him.

Her teammate, Andy, won the drop and hit it to his right. Emori took the puck and immediately passed it to Clarke.

“Shit!” Ethan said, chasing after Clarke.

Clarke skated the puck through the neutral zone and to their attacking end. As anticipated, Ethan was hot on her tail. He skated faster than her, that’s for sure.

She briefly looked over her shoulder and saw his stick move in towards hers. She backhanded the puck into the corner boards and, on cue, her teammate knocked into the corner to retain possession with an enemy skater. Both battled for possession.

Lexa looked at the clock.

Four minutes left.

Her leg bounced up and down as she watched, antsy and impatient.

Clarke skated back and watched the puck travel from one corner to the other with no real winner. She hoped for one of her teammates to flick it out to the blue line, but it never came. The puck caught an enemy team’s stick and they dumped to the center to change possession. It was in Ethan’s hands.

He started skating towards the blue line, causing Clarke to race back on defense.

As he skated past the blue line, they changed their line, and Nia Kwin brought out their first line, sans Izana.

Two and a half minutes left.

Ethan skated with the puck and intended to wrist shot it from the blue line, but his teammates had yet to move in towards the goal.

Ethan shuffled the puck in front of him. He knew in ten seconds, his teammates would be in position. The only problem in his thinking was the woman in front of him.

Clarke watched him, eagerly waiting for him to make a mistake, but even she knew he’d never do that.

As if their own world, they stared at each other, challenging the other to make a move.

Clarke smirked as Ethan Kwin continued to guard the puck with continuous movement and impressive handling. Out of the corner of his eye, Roan moved into the center of their attacking zone, right in front of the goal crease where Ontari was.

He intended to block Octavia’s sight of the puck.

Ethan brought the puck all the way to his left and attempted to wrist shot it towards Roan. He hoped for a tip in or at least a rebound, but neither came.

Clarke poked the puck away from him before he could attempt to shoot it.

Stunned and surprised, he watched Clarke race beyond the blue line with the puck.

Indra tapped on Lexa’s shoulder. “First line!”

Lexa was out of the box as soon as Andy slowed down in front of the gate. Echo, Harper, and Monroe were right behind her.

Ethan skated after Clarke, but Roan was already on the other side of the ice, almost over the blue line and into their defending zone. Even Clarke knew that a breakaway wasn’t possible. Roan would’ve caught up to her.

She stopped right after the blue line and dumped it into the corner. She trusted Lexa with her entire being, so it didn’t surprise her that Lexa raced after the puck right as it left her stick.

Lexa grabbed the puck and skated around the goal, beating Roan by mere seconds. He skated after her with a low growl.

One minute left.

Ontari tried to challenge Lexa, but Lexa avoided her entirely and passed the puck along the boards and to Echo, who was at the blue line.

Lexa used that time to skate into position, which was right in the middle where Harper was challenging Quint in front of the goal crease.

Ontari stayed on Lexa’s heel, making sure to block any pass that was directed at her.

Roan challenged Echo and, as practiced, Echo passed it to Clarke, who was at the other end of the blue line.

Clarke quickly passed it to Monroe, and then, once Roan moved a little more towards the middle and away from Echo, Monroe passed it back to Echo.

Ontari watched the puck with confusion. _What the fuck were they doing?_ She thought they were intending to stall for overtime, but Echo’s pass was fast and precise. Ethan, who had positioned himself in front of Clarke, intending to challenge her, was at loss for words.

The puck landed on Clarke’s stick, and she immediately brought her stick up, intending to full-power slapshot it towards the net. 

And she did. She tried to, anyway.

Ethan watched the stick fall and as practiced, he stiffened his stance, because blocking a slap shot always hurt like fuck.

The puck sped across the ice at full speed, faster than Roan had seen. Roan did a double take as he watched Lexa leave her position.

He grit his teeth and yelled, “Ontari!”

Ontari, still confused about Polis High’s play, looked at Roan and then back at his gaze. _Shit!_ Lexa was already in her new position by then.

The goaltender widened his eyes at the slapshot. Instinctively, he brought his glove right above his pads, thinking the possibility of the slapshot being top shelf was very slim.

That’s when he heard _the_ sound; the unmistakable sound of a puck bouncing off goalie pads.

He looked down, wondering if he had time to lunge at the puck and cover it with his glove, but it was already too late. The puck had already bounced off his pads and directly into Lexa’s stick.

He watched, stunned, as the Polis High Captain flipped the puck top shelf, right above his glove, and into the net.

The buzzer, signaling the end to the period, effectively drowned out the thumping of all the player’s heart beats in their ears.

Out of the corner of her eye, the ref behind the net signaled a good goal.

It felt like the wind was knocked out of them.

Clarke was the first to hug Lexa, and the sound of her heart beat in her ears was drowned out by Clarke’s unmistakable cheering and laughter.

Echo, Monroe, and Harper threw their gloves in their air, took off their helmets, and raced towards their Captain and Assistant Captain. 

They knocked into each other, cheering loudly.

Soon, their whole bench cleared, throwing their gloves, sticks, and helmets to the side. Somehow, by the time the bench reached their first line, Clarke and Lexa shedded their helmets, gloves, and sticks. The bench pushed them into the corner as their entire team cheered, and for the first time in that entire game, Lexa heard the crowd behind them.

The crowd behind them had been cheering them on the whole night, but the intensity of the game and the thumping of their hearts in their ears drowned them out.

Their peers in the bleachers clapped and cheered loudly, and that’s when she saw Aden and Clarke’s mom clapping and cheering with them.

…

The two teams lined up to shake hands.

Roan was the first to pass Lexa. He held onto her hand as they shook.

“You’re a great player,” he said.

Lexa nodded. “Thank you.”

“Maybe we’ll see each other in college?”

Lexa felt a tug at her lips. She did love a challenge. “Maybe.”

Roan passed her and shook Clarke’s hand.

Lexa wanted to glare as she shook Ontari’s hand, but knowing that she bested Ontari was satisfaction enough. She settled with a taunting smirk, and Ontari nearly scowled at her.

Ethan held onto Clarke’s hand. The dirty blonde haired boy stared at her, but it wasn’t in a threatening manner. In fact, he looked excited; there was a hint of thrill in his brown eyes.

“You’re really good,” he complimented her.

Clarke smirked. “So you’ve said.”

“Who taught you?”

“My dad - and all of my teammates, really,” she replied honestly.

Ethan nodded and proudly replied, “I want a rematch.”

Clarke’s smile widened. “Of course. We’ll be glad to give you that.”

“I look forward to seeing you guys next year.”

Clarke nodded and smiled proudly. “See you next year, Ethan.”

They shook Nia Kwin’s hand and the woman scowled at them. Indra even made an attempt to be friendly, shocking everyone.

“Good game. See you next season,” Indra said cooly, gripping Nia’s hand.

Nia rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

… 

Clarke was about to skate towards the bench to take off her wrist guards for the group picture and championship cup holding when she heard her name being called.

She looked around and saw one of Ice Born High’s players skate towards her.

“You’re Clarke, right?”

Clarke nodded.

She brought out her hand. “I’m Niylah.”

“Nice to meet you, Niylah,” Clarke replied, taking the hand.

Niylah stared at her with a smirk. “That was really impressive.”

“Thanks.”

“Is.. uh… um… what are you doing afterwards?” she asked, then elaborated. “After all the, y’know, celebrating and such.”

Clarke raised her eyebrows at the forwardness. _Was she asking me what I think she’s asking me?_ Clarke stalled and stuttered, unsure of what to say.

“Probably _me_.”

Niylah and Clarke both looked behind them. Lexa skated up to Clarke and stared down Niylah. The blush that spread across Clarke’s cheeks was telling enough for her.

Niylah chuckled and nodded. “I can take the hint. I didn’t know you two were together.” She tipped her invisible hat. “It was nice playing against you guys. See you next season.”

Clarke waved at her leave, but Lexa merely stared at the Ice Born High player.

Clarke tried to suppress her undying laughter. “Really smooth, Commander.”

“What?” Lexa asked in exasperation. “She was hitting on you and asking you out. That’s my job.”

Clarke nodded. “Yes, she was.” She laughed again. “You’re so ridiculous.” She leaned in and kissed Lexa briefly, but Lexa leaned into the kiss at the same time, and it was more lasting than brief.

Lexa smiled as the blonde pulled away, still riding the high from their victorious win.

Clarke threw her wrist guards on the bench. “C’mon, lets--” She stopped in front of her teammates, who were all staring wide eyed at their two leaders. Their mouths were gapped in utter shock as none of them moved from their spots on the ice.

Octavia was the first to speak, “What the fuck!?” She gestured to Lexa and Clarke. “When the fuck did this happen!?”

Lexa hid her face behind her hand, while Clarke stared at them nervously.

A commotion started over the obvious kiss Lexa and Clarke shared, and, after a few seconds, Clarke shouted above them, “Oh, c’mon! Are you kidding me? You guys _definitely_ knew something was up between us. There’s no way you didn’t know!” The commotion that paused now continued.

The refs motioned for their team to kneel on the ice.

“We’re not going to hear the end of it, are we?” Clarke asked as she knelt next to Lexa.

Lexa chuckled. “You’re the one that started it.” Clarke rolled her eyes at her, but kept her knowing smile.

After their team picture, they retired to the locker room where they all stared at the trophy that sat in the middle of the room. It was nowhere near the size of The Stanley Cup, but it was definitely larger than a standard goblet.

Octavia furrowed her eyebrows. “Are we allowed to drink stuff from it?”

Harper rested her hands on her hip. “I sure hope so.”

“Beer?” Octavia offered with a shrug.

Kane furrowed her eyebrows. “Aren’t you guys like seventeen? As far as I know, the drinking age is twenty-one.”

Without a beat, Octavia went back on her comment. “I meant root beer, duh.” Her nervous chuckle made Kane raise an eyebrow.

“Well,” Indra said, walking up to her players. “We don’t have buckets of gatorade, but we do have buckets of shower water, and that’s better than nothing, right?”

Lexa furrowed her eyebrows. “Shower water? What--”

Indra then poured an entire bucket of water over Lexa’s head, completely soaking her and all her hockey equipment.

Lexa sputtered at the water and desperately wiped it away from her face. “You’ve never done that in any of our previous championship wins.”

Indra shrugged. “A good time to start, I guess?”

Clarke laughed at Lexa’s face, but then she too felt a bucket of water pour over her. “Ah!” she screeched. She saw Kane try to hide his laughter and the offending bucket. She glared at him through soaked strands of hair that covered her face. “Not funny.”

Lexa disagreed and suppressed her laughter.

… 

Clarke was incredibly happy to see that her mom was able to make it to her game, and Lexa was more than happy to see her little brother cheer her on.

“I’m so proud of you, baby,” her mom said as she enveloped Clarke in a tight hug. She then whispered, “And I know dad is incredibly proud of you, too.”

Clarke nodded, wiping away a stray tear that ran down her cheek. “I’m glad you could make it, mom.”

“Oh, there are some things that can wait.” She pulled away and proudly looked at her daughter. “And I’m so glad you decided to take a shower before I could hug you.”

Clarke pulled a face. “Okay, I get it. Hockey is a smelly sport. You don’t have to say it every time I come home.”

Abby laughed and hugged her daughter again.

Abby’s congratulations only lasted an hour after they won as she was swept back to the hospital. She was only given a few hours to see her daughter’s final game.

...

With Abby’s permission, Lexa and Clarke retreated to Lexa’s room. The two instantly climbed up to her room and lazily lounged on her bed. After a hard fought game, neither of them had the energy to do anything else.

Lexa hugged Clarke to her body, loving the blonde’s natural scent that fluttered underneath her nose. Clarke kissed the bottom of Lexa’s chin and then groaned at the thought of getting up.

“I’m too lazy to change the channel,” she murmured.

“Then don’t,” Lexa replied sleepily.

“Where’s the remote?”

Lexa shrugged. “Somewhere.”

“You don’t care about the weird cartoon that’s on right now, huh?”

Lexa shook her head. “I only care about the pretty girl that’s in my bed.”

Clarke hummed thoughtfully. “Very smooth.”

Lexa’s chuckle vibrated in her throat. “Thank you.”

“And completely unlike you.”

Lexa chuckled. “Hey, I can be _very_ charming.”

“Says the girl with resting bitch face,” Clarke teased. She felt Lexa’s arms tighten around her.

“I’m going to kill Aden,” she replied flatly.

Clarke laughed and shuffled further into Lexa’s arms. “Do you even have energy to do that?”

“No.”

“Mm, and I don’t have the energy to stop you.”

“I guess he’s lucky, then.”

“I guess so.”

After a few moments of silence, Clarke felt Lexa’s hand travel from her waist to her hip. The brunette moved her fingers underneath Clarke’s shirt. Lexa dipped forward and gently nudged Clarke’s nose with her own. Clarke giggled and felt lips brush against hers.

Lexa smiled, enjoying how easily she could elicit such a lovely sound.

She nudged Clarke over, making her roll over on her back. Lexa hovered over her, playfully teasing her with their lips mere centimeters away.

Lexa tugged at the elastic waistband of Clarke’s Polis High sweatpants and then let her fingers gently scrape against the skin above it. Clarke giggled from the ticklish feeling and wrapped her arms around the brunette’s neck to finally press their lips together.

Lexa smiled into the kiss, cherishing every second and every moment they spent together.

“I’m glad you weren’t hurt,” Lexa murmured after she pulled away and lovingly stared down at the woman below her.

Clarke’s small smile made Lexa’s stomach flip. Clarke reached up and tucked a few strands of hair behind Lexa’s ear, only to have it fall over again.

She chuckled, “I told you I could handle it.”

“It scared me,” Lexa admitted.

“Now you know how I felt when you injured your wrist.”

Lexa frowned and then dipped forward to capture the blonde’s lips, wanting the feeling of uneasiness to melt away.

The previous thoughts were instantly forgotten as Clarke’s arms wrapped around Lexa’s middle, pulling her in closer and deepening their kisses.

… 

Ten minutes later, the sound of Aden’s feet could be heard, padding down the hallway and towards Lexa’s door.

“Lexa?” Aden paused and gently knocked on the door. “Clarke?” He gently knocked again.

He furrowed his eyebrows and slowly opened the door, but only by a little bit. He poked his head through and saw that the lights were still on.

The television quietly ran in the background.

His eyes then found the couple, laying on top of Lexa’s sheets; both of them were facing each other, fast asleep, wearing sweatpants and t-shirts. Their legs were tangled together, and Lexa’s arm stretched out, right underneath Clarke’s neck. Her other hand rested cover Clarke’s waist, making it look like she was pulling the blonde closer.

Lexa’s nose pressed against Clarke’s crown, and Clarke’s head was nestled comfortably against the inside of her shoulder, right above Lexa’s heart.

Aden broke out into a wide, uncontrollable grin when he saw they were both smiling in their sleep.

He brought up his phone and took a quick picture.

He made sure to send it to Raven and the whole hockey team with the caption: ‘Polis High’s two ice hockey champions and co-captains’.

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this story. I spent a few weeks working on it and reading through it. A sequel is very unlikely, but an epilogue isn't; I've been thinking of an epilogue of sorts for a while now. But, we'll see how that goes - no promises!
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and comments!
> 
> See you in the next fic! ;)


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa, and the future.

_ [Four months after Polis High’s Championship Win against Ice Born High...] _

“Is this weird?” Clarke asked, looking up at Lexa. Lexa was only a little bit taller than her, and thankfully, they both decided to wear heels.

Lexa shook her head. “No.”

Clarke broke out into a wide smile. “Really? So, it’s not weird that we have to be up here, alone, and dance to this ridiculously slow song that probably has seen its days in weddings?”

Lexa swallowed nervously at her words. “We agreed to this.”

Clarke chuckled. “I didn’t agree to  _ this _ . I agreed to be your date. I didn’t agree to be publicly judged for my terrible dancing and weird hip movements.”

Lexa felt a tug at her lips. “And here I thought you were excited to be going with me to Junior Prom.”

Clarke’s eyes drifted between the tables of people that surrounded the dance floor. All eyes were on them, and Clarke nervously readjusted her hands that rested on the back of Lexa’s neck.

Lexa’s hands on Clarke’s waist gently squeezed. “You’re doing great, Clarke.”

“It’s not that I’m not excited, Lexa,” she murmured. “I just didn’t think public humiliation was part of it.”

Lexa chuckled. “Well, get used to it,  _ Prom Queen _ . We still have three hours of this scrutiny.”

Clarke looked at the tiaras on both her and Lexa’s head. The announcement of Prom Queen and  King Queen happened when everyone was seated and in the middle of eating dinner.

Their prom was held at a hotel ballroom, completed with lavish accessories, such as a whole twenty seat rectangular table dedicated to massive chocolate fountains, a few photo booths, some photo ops for couples, and a lot of balloon arches and floor balloons. Other than that, there was a huge dance floor, lighting accessories, and a dedicated DJ.

Clarke was in the middle of stuffing her face when the announcement happened and the spotlight shined on her and Lexa. (She didn’t get a chance to eat that day since she was part of the crew that had to make sure everything went smoothly for their Junior Prom)

Clarke didn’t even hear her and Lexa’s name get called.

Lexa leaned into Clarke and pressed her lips to the blonde’s cheek, hoping it would calm her nerves, but it only made things worse, as their hockey team and many others started throwing out ‘awe’s and began clapping.

“God, it’s like a fish tank,” Clarke grounded out, looking up at Lexa with a solemn expression. “Are they going to suggest dance moves for us to do? Soon they’ll start tapping on the glass asking for a miracle.”

“Do you want me to twirl you?” Lexa asked, amused.

Clarke raised an eyebrow. “I’ll trip and fall, and I’m pretty sure if I do that, I’m taking you down with me.”

Lexa chuckled. “I guess not then.”

“Do you even know how to twirl someone?”

Lexa shrugged. “My mom made me take lessons when I was younger. I’m pretty sure I’ve still got it.” Clarke pulled a suspicious face at her girlfriend.

Before Clarke could tease her, the song ended.

“And there you have it folks, your Prom Queen and Queen: Alexandria Woods and Clarke Griffin!” Kane announced with a clap of his hands.

Everyone around them clapped. Clarke wasn’t paying much attention as she was more focused on trying not to turn into a tomato with all the heat rising from her neck, but Lexa was quite aware of their hockey team standing up and loudly cheering them on.

The couple walked back to their seats, hand in hand. And when they got back to their table, Raven and Octavia were practically swooning.

Raven sighed lovingly and said, “You two are so adorable together.”

Octavia smirked as she stirred her shirley temple with her straw. “I have to agree. You two are pretty damn cute.”

Clarke was trying not to nervously hide her face. She felt Lexa’s hand squeeze her thigh, and for a moment, all was well.

“Remind me to opt out of the whole Prom Queen thing next time,” Clarke said.

Raven faked a laugh. “Yeah, totally not doing that.” Octavia agreed with her.

Lexa smiled and confidently replied, “I liked dancing with you.” Clarke smiled at her words as she contemplated smashing her face into the pumpkin soup in front of her.

A few minutes later, there was a tap on Clarke’s shoulder. Thelonious Jaha was whispering something into her ear and Clarke suddenly nodded.

“Prom emergency,” Clarke murmured as she got up from her seat and followed Jaha outside of the ballroom.

Twenty minutes passed until Lexa saw Clarke again. Clarke was now talking to Jaha and another one of the faculty members of their school. The emergency must’ve not been too bad since they were all smiles.

Lexa let herself enjoy the blonde’s long, dark blue dress from afar. They didn’t get much time to themselves as both her parents and Clarke’s mom wanted to take pictures. And Aden wasn’t much help as he took his own photos and sent them to their entire hockey team.

Lexa reminded herself for a third time that night to throw Aden’s phone out the window.

As she was lost in her thoughts, it took a moment for her to realize that Clarke’s gaze was locked with hers. They both smiled.

Clarke nodded at the two people before rejoining her class in the ballroom. She made sure to keep away from the dance floor.

Clarke sighed as she approached Lexa, loving how her long, black silk dress managed to show off her small frame. She took Lexa’s hands in hers as almost all of their classmates were a few feet away, dancing their hearts out.

“We’re going to have to dance sooner or later, huh?” Clarke asked sadly.

Lexa shook her head. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.” 

She pulled Clarke near the doors that led to a large balcony that overlooked a small private plaza in the back of the hotel; in the plaza was a rock fountain surrounded by many flowers and bushes, and there were even a few wooden benches on the sides. It looked like the perfect backdrop for wedding photos.

Clarke shivered as they snuck outside. Lexa was ready and draped her coat around the blonde’s shoulders.

Clarke noticed they only had one jacket. “You’re not cold?”

Lexa shrugged. “It feels nice. It feels like we’re on the ice.”

Clarke chuckled and purposefully rolled her eyes. “Of course.”

They had a perfect view of the moon, and while it was only half of a full one, it looked like it was shining brighter than usual.

Clarke leaned into Lexa and wrapped her arms around the brunette’s midsection. Lexa wrapped her arms around Clarke’s shoulders and held her close. Clarke felt a pair of lips press against the top of her head, and for a moment, she forgot where they were.

“Thanks for agreeing to be my date,” Lexa said.

Clarke let out a raspy chuckle. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Lexa shrugged. “I didn’t want you to think you had any obligation.”

Clarke’s lips brushed against the brunette’s exposed collar. “You mean, as  _ your _ girlfriend, you didn’t want me to feel like I  _ had _ to be your date to Prom?” Lexa nodded. Clarke sighed happily. “You’re so ridiculous, Babe.” Lexa blushed when she heard the pet name leave the blonde’s lips. “Of course I wanted to be your date. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

“Good,” Lexa replied proudly.

Clarke shook her head and sighed as she leaned against Lexa’s chest. They both looked up at the glowing moon above them. Lexa swallowed nervously as she held the blonde against her chest. Warm arms secured themselves around Lexa’s waist, and Lexa suddenly felt weight on her shoulders.

Her past few years had been very eventful.

She found love, lost love, and found it again, and now, she didn’t want to let it go, but their time together would end eventually. There was only so little time before she and Clarke would go their separate ways for college, but she didn’t want to think of that until the time came.

Whenever she thought about her love for Hockey or her determination for her late night studying, she saw Clarke. It was always Clarke.

Lexa fought back the water that welled at the corner of her eyes. She’d thought about saying  _ those words _ .

For the past two months, she’d been wanting to tell Clarke, and every single time, she either got cold feet, or something (or someone) interrupted them. Clarke’s mom wasn’t supposed to be home until early tomorrow morning, so she and Clarke were going to stay at her house after Prom was over. Lexa assumed the appropriate opportunity would be then, but maybe sooner was better than later.

Lexa held her and squeezed her tighter. Her breath was shaky as the words played on her tongue. 

“I love you.”

Clarke’s eyes slowly widened as she fully registered and processed what the brunette had just said. She felt Lexa brush her lips against her ear.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say it back,” she whispered.

But, she wanted to. She wanted to tell her ever since she took her to the county fair and they ended their night with kisses and hand holding, stuffed in a photo booth with a large ass stuffed teddy bear they won from one of the games. 

Clarke pulled away from Lexa ever so slightly and looked up at her. Wide blue eyes stared as her heart thumped in her chest. Her mouth felt as dry as the desert.

“Lexa--”

“Lexa? Clarke?” Kane shouted from the doors to the ballroom.

Clarke nearly groaned at Kane’s impeccable timing. “Yes?” she shouted back.

“C’mon, you two. Back inside. I believe the dance party is this way!” Kane said cheerfully. And his words of encouragement made Clarke and Lexa both inwardly groan out of second hand embarrassment.

Lexa was already walking towards the doors when she felt a tug on her hand. When she looked back, she saw conflict wage war in the blonde’s blue eyes, lit beautifully by the bright moon.

Clarke didn’t realize she was holding her breath.

“I love you, too.”

She briefly saw Lexa’s eyes fill with happiness. After Lexa forced herself to calm her own heart down, she nodded. She would never admit to anyone that she was screaming with joy inside.

Clarke chuckled at Lexa’s response, as it was entirely a ‘Lexa’ thing to do. She tugged at the brunette’s hand once more and leaned closer to her to kiss her. Soft glossy lips pressed against hers, and for a moment, the entire world, including the moon behind them, ceased to exist.

Kane’s eyes drifted away for a moment. He let out a lone cough as he stammered, “Uh, ahem, c’mon you two! Inside!”

With all cheeks flushed, they pulled away and promptly made their way back inside the ballroom. 

While riding the high from their confessions, Lexa and Clarke joined their friends on the dance floor. After an hour of dancing, ten minutes of chocolate fountain indulgent, and thirty minutes of photo op fun with their friends and hockey teammates, they found themselves slow dancing to a song in the middle of dozens of other prom dates.

“For some reason, a game against Ice Born High sounds a lot easier compared to  _ this _ ,” Clarke murmured. Lexa broke out into a smile.

“Of course you’d say that.”

Clarke sighed lovingly. “You’re the only person I’d slow dance with.”

“I’m flattered.”

“As you should be,” Clarke replied proudly. She leaned her head against Lexa’s chest and sighed in content.

…

…

…

_ [Six months later...] _

Clarke sighed as she sat down at her usual lunch bench.

Octavia and Lincoln were talking about their SAT scores and how terrible the weather in Seattle was when Octavia noticed the brace on Clarke’s wrist.

Her eyes widened. “Uh, when the fuck did  _ that _ happen?” Lincoln set down his tray of food from the cafeteria. Octavia was so perplexed by the brace, so he took the tray from her and set it down in front of her.

Octavia eventually sat down.

Clarke shrugged. “I sprained it somehow.”

Octavia raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Maybe I slept on it wrong. I’m not really sure. My mom told me to put it in a brace, especially since we have that match on Friday against Trinity High and their annoying assistant coach that likes yelling as if they’re being set on fire.” She saw Octavia’s eyes widen. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine for the match. I might have to sit out practice today, though. I still need to talk to Coach Indra about it.”

Octavia then furrowed her brows. “But, we had practice, like, less than twenty-four hours ago, and you were completely fine.” She hummed in thought. And in a moment, her eyes widened again at the realization. “And you went home with Lexa yesterday.” There was a pause as Clarke refused to look at her in the eye. “Holy fuck. This is a sex injury!”

Lincoln choked on his food and coughed loudly. Clarke nearly smacked Octavia on the head.

“Oh yeah, just tell everyone, O!” Clarke hissed. “I’m sure your brother didn’t hear it from all the way at Stanford!” 

Octavia laughed obnoxiously. “Holy shit. This is actually-- wow!” Her mouth gapped as she thoroughly enjoyed the embarrassing expression Clarke was wearing.

As if the stars aligned at the right moment for Octavia’s amusement, Lexa sat down next to Clarke and set down her green and black lunch bag in front of her. (Clarke had teased her multiple times on how all of her school related bags were green and black.)

She greeted them with a nod and then looked at Clarke. “How’s the wrist?” Lexa asked. Octavia was trying not to laugh.

Clarke smiled at her girlfriend. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine for Friday.”

Lexa frowned. “That’s not why I’m asking, Clarke.” Clarke placed her hand on Lexa’s thigh and squeezed the spot to let her know that she was just teasing.

Octavia chimed in. “Feeling guilty about injuring our assistant captain, Commander?” 

Lexa’s gaze shifted to Octavia and her incredibly wide and knowing grin. She stared at her for a couple seconds and then turned back to Clarke. “You told her?” she asked sternly.

“She guessed.”

“You have a terrible poker face.”

Clarke groaned inwardly. “Yeah, yeah. I’m working on it.”

Lexa sighed; she knew what the next thirty minutes of lunch would include. And, sure enough, Octavia teased them incessantly. Clarke hid her face with her hand as she ate her lunch, and Lexa merely munched on her sandwich and took every word.

…

…

…

_ [Four months later...] _

Polis High made it to the playoffs for the fourth time in a row where they faced Ice Born High in the quarterfinals. They won against Ice Born High, 2 - 0, as their strength was considerably lower since Roan graduated the year prior.

They won their semifinals match against Floukru High, 3 - 2, that surprisingly came down to the last five minutes of the third period.

They then won their finals match against Sangeda High, 5 - 2.

Their newest Championship win was bittersweet. It wasn’t due to the fact that their final match wasn’t as impactful as their last one against Ice Born High. It was because everyone knew after that day, they would no longer be playing together as teammates.

The locker room atmosphere was somber as they all stared at their championship cup. Everyone took their turn taking pictures with the cup, posting their excitement on social media. No one fought back the tears that fell; they all hugged and cried together as they all remembered the last four incredible years.

What really surprised the team was that Indra was crying harder than anyone else.

That night, after their last game, Clarke went home with Lexa; they laid in bed together, holding each other. Neither one of them dared to speak about the future.

…

…

…

_ [Five months later...] _

Lexa nervously shoved her hands in her pockets as she watched Clarke pack up her car. Clarke’s mom was finishing up when Clarke walked up to Lexa.

Lexa, somber and on the verge of tears, frowned as her girlfriend (now ex-girlfriend) nearly ran up and hugged her. She instantly wrapped her arms around her and held her as tight as she could.

“I’m going to miss you, Clarke,” Lexa murmured into her ear.

“I’ll miss you, too, Lexa.” There was a sniffle or two.

Lexa smiled. “Don’t cry when our teams meet.”

Clarke laughed. “The only crying I’ll do is for when I feel bad for beating you.”

Lexa mimicked her laugh as a tear fell down her cheek. “Keep dreaming, Griffin.”

When they pulled away, they stared into each other’s eyes, noticing how both of them smiled, yet neither were doing it from happiness. Lexa, not being able to gaze into those blue eyes any longer without breaking out into tears, tilted Clarke’s chin up and softly kissed her.

“I’ll always love you, Clarke.”

Clarke cried as their kiss ended. And, in a fleeting moment, she grabbed Lexa’s face with her hands and desperately kissed her. Lexa’s hands held her waist as they kissed a few more times before hearing Aden clear his throat.

Aden, now much taller with a deeper voice and looking more mature, was awkwardly standing behind Lexa with his gaze pointed elsewhere. “As much as I’d love to relive the moments of walking in on you two…”

Lexa rolled her eyes, while Clarke buried her face in Lexa’s collar in embarrassment.

“Ready to go, Clarke?” Abby called out from the car.

Clare turned around and briefly nodded. She kissed Lexa one more time.

“I love you, Lexa.”

They hugged one last time, and it lasted for nearly a minute as neither one of them wanted to let go.

…

…

…

_ [Ten years later…] _

“I have two tickets to the Rangers game, Clarke,” Octavia said as they walked through busy New York City streets, dressed in two layers of clothing and matching blue beanies. “I’m warning you, this is the only time I’m offering.”

Clarke chuckled as she looped her arm through the brunette’s. “Or what?”

“I can always ask other people.”

Clarke sighed and shrugged. “Only if I can get that night off...”

“Clarke. This is the fifth time you’re saying ‘no’ to Hockey tickets. This is  _ so _ unlike you.”

Clarke nodded in agreement. “I know, I know. Don’t remind me.”

“What gives?”

“I have three editorials to complete by the end of the month, and there’s only a week left of the month, O.”

Octavia rolled her eyes. “You’re your own boss, Clarke. Delegate your shit.”

Clarke burst out into laughter. “Oh, just the words I’ve wanted to hear from you.”

“Seriously, get my brother to do that shit for you,” Octavia replied curtly.

Clarke had worked at the New York Times for nearly seven years. After High School, she went to Ark University under a Hockey scholarship. Hockey only lasted a couple years as her dreams of going to Med School became apparent, but once she realized Med School was no cake walk, she shifted gears and majored in English and Literature.

Her mother was somewhat indifferent about her choices, but nevertheless supported her decision.

She ended up interning at New York Times during her last year of college and accepted a job offer from them after she graduated. Five years later, she was offered a Senior Editor position. Bellamy Blake, Octavia’s brother, also worked at New York Times as a writer and editor, but wasn’t necessarily considered an employee under her.

They stopped at the corner of an intersection. Clarke unhooked her arm as they were about to go their separate ways.

Octavia held up a large, sturdy blue and white ticket in front of Clarke’s face. “You. Me. The game. Tomorrow.” She shoved it into Clarke’s chest. “Take it.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll take off work early.” She grasped onto the ticket.

Octavia cheered happily as the intersection lights changed from red to green, signaling the right for pedestrians to cross. “I’ll meet you there at seven! Don’t be late!” she yelled as she crossed the street.

Clarke waved good-bye to her best friend. She looked down at the ticket in her hand and smirked. The last time she went to a Hockey game was when she had spent a couple weeks in California on vacation, but even  _ that _ was years ago. She caught a Kings versus Ducks game at the last minute.

The only person that would understand her frustration with the matchup was most likely halfway across the world doing god knows what.

She and Lexa lost touch midway through college. It was the beginning of her third year when Clarke told the brunette about her departure from the sport. Despite all the angry emojis Lexa replied with, as well as the unruly teasing that there was no one else to challenge her like she did, she found herself and Lexa distancing thereafter.

…

Clarke arrived at the arena promptly at seven.

Octavia texted her ten minutes after and told her she’d meet her at their assigned seats. So, Clarke grabbed a beer on her way and sat down to watch the teams warm up.

She pulled out her phone and saw a message from Bellamy. She chuckled when she saw his angry texts about how his sister asked him to do this favor for her. She started texting an apology.

Moments later, she felt someone occupy the seat to her left, and she assumed it was Octavia.

“Your brother sounds like he’s going to kill me, O,” she said with a raspy laugh.

“Hello, Clarke.”

Clarke’s fingers stopped.

Her heart seemingly stopped.

Her eyes widened.

The slight pop of the ‘k’ in her name as well as the slight undertone of the ‘hello’ threw her back twelve years when she felt Lexa’s lips on hers for the first time, in her car and in the middle of their High School parking lot.

She turned her head, almost too fast, and suddenly work and the hockey game were but a distant memory in her head.

“Lexa,” Clarke whispered in shock.

Lexa, hair pulled back and braided as usual, stared at her with emerald green eyes and a small smile. It was like no time had passed.

The brunette looked absolutely beautiful in her black skinny jeans, vans shoes, and a fitting Islander’s jersey. The look was very different compared to the pictures Clarke had seen on the internet.

“I’m guessing we’re the butt end of a joke,” Lexa said as she put down her beer in the cup holders near their feet.

Clarke was too shocked to even consider why Lexa was taking the seat next to her. It was only when she finally processed Lexa’s words that she got the hint: they were set up.

“Octavia,” Clarke grounded out sourly. “Of course.”

Lexa chuckled, and Clarke missed hearing it. She missed seeing Lexa’s small smile and the way her eyes did the smiling for her, even if she wasn’t smiling herself.

“It’s been years,” Clarke said finally.

Lexa nodded. “Yeah.”

“What are you even doing here?” Clarke asked. “I thought you would be traveling around the world like you always wanted to.”

Lexa felt her stomach flip when she caught Clarke’s enchanting blue eyed gaze. “I did for a while. I was in Greece a few months ago, and then went to New Zealand.” She sighed. “They were all for business, mind you.”

“Ah, yes, the rising CEO of TonDC Corporation.” Clarke’s smile widened. “I’ve read the headlines and I’ve seen the photoshoots.”

Lexa let out a short laugh. “My dad is still the CEO. I’m merely following in his footsteps until he and my mother are ready to retire.”

Clarke nodded. “How have you been?”

Lexa contemplated the question for a few moments. “I’m doing well. How about yourself? Octavia told me you were rising to the top at The New York Times.”

Clarke shrugged. “I’ve been okay, and… well, work is work. Can’t really complain.”

Clarke reached for her beer and took a sip. Lexa’s eyes fell upon the two New York teams that would continue to warm up for another ten minutes.

Lexa swallowed hard as she rehearsed the words in her head. “I’ve missed you,” Lexa admitted.

Clarke sputtered during her sip of beer. Lexa handed her a napkin, but Clarke refused it.

“Sorry,” Lexa said. She smiled as she watched Clarke unceremoniously wipe the beer that fell below her bottom lip with the sleeve of her New York Rangers sweatshirt. Clarke shook her head.

“Of course you’d find the best time to say  _ that _ .” Clarke nevertheless smiled. A moment passed between them. “I’ve missed you, too, you know?”

Lexa sheepishly looked down at her lap. “There were so many things I wanted to share with you, but I wasn’t sure if you’d reply.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Lexa shrugged. “I don’t know. You had your college life and I had mine. I know we promised to keep in touch, but…”

Clarke nodded understandingly. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Lexa shook her head. “I’m sorry for not trying hard enough to keep you in my life.”

Clarke frowned as the guilt washed over her. “I’m to blame for that, too, Lexa.” She let out a shaky breath as she felt uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. She bit her bottom lip as she tried to think of a way to salvage the night; they were at a great hockey game with beer and even better company. There was no use in ruining the night for themselves.

“What do you say to new beginnings?” Clarke asked softly.

Lexa raised her eyes in surprise. She then broke out into a grin and nodded. She gently knocked her beer into the blonde’s. “New beginnings.”

…

Clarke whacked Octavia’s head with a piece of mail that was sitting on the kitchen table. Lexa tried not to laugh.

“What the fuck, Octavia,” Clarke grounded out. “You couldn’t have told us?”

Octavia yelped and dramatically rubbed the back of her head. Raven laughed at her.

“ _ This _ is the thanks I get for taking the time to set the whole thing up?” Octavia complained with a frown.

Clarke rolled her eyes at the two that sat on the couch.

After the game, the two decided to go back to Octavia’s apartment to unwind (and mostly to yell at Octavia).

(Rangers won 4 - 2, and Clarke made sure to rub it in. Lexa was not having any of it and merely scowled at the blonde’s relentless teasing)

Lexa learned that Octavia and Raven shared an apartment, while Clarke lived in her own apartment that was closer to her work. 

“Stop trying to be Cupid, you dunce.” Clarke hit her again with the same piece of mail. Lexa tried not to blush at the blonde’s words.

Octavia snatched the piece of mail from the blonde’s hand. “You can’t say you weren’t the least bit happy to see her after all this time.”

With Lexa right behind Clarke, the tips of her ears burned in response. “D-Don’t pin this one on me,” she replied nervously.

“Lexa, help me out here!” Octavia yelped as Clarke went back into the kitchen to get more mail.

Raven couldn’t stop laughing at her two best friends. “Don’t help them. This is hilarious. Hey, Clarke, we have some Amazon boxes in the closet!”

… 

Lexa walked Clarke back to her apartment after they caught up with Raven and Octavia, seeing as it was on her way to her hotel.

“How long are you in town for?” Clarke asked as she dropped her keys in a small bowl near the door.

Lexa replied simply, “Permanently.” Her eyes followed the paintings that decorated the hallway that led from the front door, all the way to the living room. She noticed Clarke’s initials on the bottom right corners. “Did you paint all of these?”

Clarke was taken aback. “Uh yeah. Wait, did you say permanently?”

Lexa nodded, as if it were nothing short of big news. “We recently secured a deal to take over the building north of here. I’m overlooking the project and will be taking a permanent spot on the top level when it’s ready.”

Clarke muttered under her breath, “The building north of here.” Her eyes briefly widened. “You mean the building a block over from The New York Times offices?”

Lexa hummed in thought. “I think so.” When she finally looked over at the blonde, she saw how flustered Clarke had become. A smile played on her lips, “If i remember correctly, I said I wanted to buy one of your paintings.”

Clarke broke out into a short chuckle as she joined the brunette in the hallway. “That was a long time ago.”

“My needs still hold, Clarke.” Her gaze shifted to the paintings, while Clarke’s landed on Lexa’s face. Her eyes nervously fluttered between plump pink lips and observing green eyes.

Clarke sighed as the need to tease Lexa grew. “I drive a hard bargain.”

“My position at my family’s company comes in handy then,” Lexa quipped.

“So, you’re able to put a price on priceless?”

“Oh, I’m sure we can settle on  _ something _ .”

They dangerously flirted amongst themselves as the line between old girlfriends and new acquaintances blurred.

Lexa leaned in and pressed her lips to the blonde’s cheeks. “Good night, Clarke. I had fun tonight.”

The spot on Clarke’s cheek felt like it was on fire; nevertheless, she smiled. 

“Good night, Lexa.”

…

…

…

_ [Three weeks later...] _

Clarke walked out of a long and arduous meeting with other team leads and project managers. She let out a long sigh as she approached the elevator doors. In the emptiness of the small area was a small chime and a noticeable vibration in her pocket.

She took out her phone and stared at Lexa’s text.

**[3:35PM] Lexa Woods :** What are you doing tonight?

Clarke smirked and playfully replied.

**[3:36PM] Clarke Griffin :** Uhhhh working????????

**[3:36PM] Lexa Woods :** Do you want to go with me to the game tonight?

**[3:36PM] Clarke Griffin :** Who’s playing?

**[3:36PM] Lexa Woods :** Rangers and Red Wings

Clarke laughed to herself. The elevator doors opened and she began to walk to her office. Various people stopped her along the way to ask her questions. Ten minutes passed before she could reply to Lexa.

**[3:47PM] Clarke Griffin :** You hate both of those teams lol

**[3:47PM] Lexa Woods :** But you like the Rangers

Clarke smiled. It was true, she did, but the fact that Lexa was asking her to go to a game where the woman hated both teams said something. 

Ever since they’d gone to the Rangers and Islanders game, thanks to Octavia, they’d become increasingly communicative; they texted each other every day and saw each other every weekend to catch up on things they’ve missed. While neither of them admitted it out loud, they also shamelessly flirted with each other.

**[3:48PM] Clarke Griffin :** Yes, that’s true.

**[3:48PM] Clarke Griffin :** Free tickets?

**[3:50PM] Lexa Woods :** Sort of.

Clarke raised an eyebrow. She was about to reply when someone came into her office with a few questions. The questions took almost half an hour to answer.

When she was finally able to answer Lexa, her eyes widened in surprise at the texts that were awaiting her reply. She found it kind of cute that they were all in quick succession, too.

**[3:50PM] Lexa Woods :** They’re free under one condition.

**[3:50PM] Lexa Woods :** You go with me to the game as my date.

**[3:51PM] Lexa Woods :** Okay, clearly I’ve stepped over a line.

**[3:51PM] Lexa Woods :** You don’t have to answer that.

**[3:51PM] Lexa Woods :** We don’t have to make it a date. We can go as friends, if that’s what you want.

**[3:52PM] Lexa Woods :** I can take the hint. I’ll see you at the gates?

Clarke’s heart fluttered as she reread the texts a couple more times.

**[4:21PM] Clarke Griffin :** Sorry, was pulled away for a bit.

**[4:21PM] Clarke Griffin :** I’d love to go as your date, Lexa :)

**[4:21PM] Clarke Griffin :** Want to get dinner before the game starts? Unless Stadium Dogs are your thing lol

**[4:22PM] Lexa Woods :** :)

**[4:23PM] Lexa Woods :** Do you have any suggestions on where to eat?

…

…

…

_ [Three months later…] _

An alarm worthy of a thousand screeching birds blared in the spanse of the cold and large bedroom.

Clarke groaned as she blindly reached for her phone to stop the incessant noise. She then realized that it wasn’t her phone that was producing such a terrible and ear piercing chime.

“Babe…”

Lexa groaned in a reply.

“Lexa,” Clarke murmured. She rolled her and pressed her lips against the brunette’s bare shoulder. “It’s your phone.”

Lexa groaned again and then she blindly felt around for her phone. She snoozed it and rolled over to face her girlfriend. “What day is it?”

“Monday.”

Lexa groaned and Clarke chuckled into soft skin. She pulled the sheets and comforter over their shoulders as the air around them seemed to grow colder with their wake. Legs tangled with hers as Lexa’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled their naked bodies closer together.

“I don’t want to leave,” Lexa murmured sadly.

“Then don’t,” Clarke replied softly. “Your name is practically on the building.”

Lexa let a laugh travel through her throat. “If only it were that easy.” She softly kissed Clarke. Clarke hummed lovingly against her.

“One phone call is all it takes to postpone your meetings.”

“You are a bad influence, Griffin.”

Clarke raised an eyebrow and pressed her lips against the brunette’s neck. “When was I ever a  _ good _ influence?”

A smile tugged at Lexa’s lips. “You have a point.” She sighed and rolled over. The sheets slowly fell off her shoulders as she sat up to briefly check her phone. She then heard a small whine behind her.

Lexa’s smile widened as she leaned in to kiss the blonde that was snug between the sheets, seemingly resembling a burrito.

“Don’t sleep in for too long. You have to wake up in an hour.”

Clarke’s eyes followed the naked body that traveled from the bed to the bathroom. Her eyes fluttered closed as she heard the shower turn on. Thirty minutes later, she felt a pair of lips press against hers, followed by hearing an ‘I love you’.

“I love you, too, Lexa.” A few moments passed before she added, “Don’t work too hard.”

“I should be saying that to  _ you _ , beautiful.” A pair of lips pressed against the top of Clarke’s head. “Don’t forget, we have a Hockey game to attend tonight.”

Clarke nodded and then fell back asleep with a wide grin plastered across her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can be damn sure Clarke and Lexa were crowned Senior Prom Queen and Queen, too.
> 
> Thank you all for reading this story!  
> Thanks for all the kudos and comments.  
> I'm terrible at finding different ways to say 'thank you' without making it seem like I'm not thankful, but I really am, and I read all of the comments. They never fail to make me smile. :)


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